Antioch Township man now facing prison for street racing death
An Antioch Township man faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting Thursday he violated his probation stemming from the death of a teenage girl during an illegal street race.
Jeremy Betancourt, 19, received the initial four-year probation term, which included 30 months periodic imprisonment, last year after pleading guilty to charges he had marijuana in his system during an illegal street race in June 2013.
Police said Betancourt was driving 77 mph to 87 mph on Route 120 in Gurnee. when he lost control of his vehicle and it flipped in the median. Cynthia Perez, a 16-year-old passenger in his back seat, was thrown from the car when it rolled and died at the scene, authorities said.
Authorities say Betancourt violated his probation by breaking the rules at least eight times at the correctional center where he was serving, including by being absent without proper authorization and trying to bring a cellphone and cigarettes into the facility.
It was while serving his periodic imprisonment in April that Betancourt was released to attend a court hearing. He never made it to court and was declared a fugitive.
Lake County Sheriff's deputies and members of the U.S. Marshal's Office captured Betancourt about a week later in Chicago.
Prosecutors charged him with escape for the disappearance. He faces an additional prison sentence of two to five years if found guilty.
His attorney, Jed Stone, said Thursday that case will go to trial.
"He made a mistake, got caught, and he freaked out," Stone said. "We don't have enough money in the state to send every kid who makes a mistake to prison."
Betancourt remains held in Lake County jail on $1 million bail.