40 prior traffic citations for man accused in fatal crash
MARYVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A southwestern Illinois man accused of driving drunk in a crash that left a 27-year-old woman dead had received at least 40 traffic citations in the area, including 25 that involved speeding, before the fatal crash.
Steven L. Willis, 38, of Maryville, faces two counts of aggravated DUI for an Oct. 23 crash that killed Samantha Miller as she waited with her three children along Interstate 55 after their car broke down. Her children, ages 3, 6, and 8, were in her car when it was struck and survived.
Court records show that Willis has received 40 citations in Madison and St. Clair counties since 1994, but was convicted just twice, both times for seatbelt violations. He was sentenced 30 times to court supervision, the Belleville News-Democrat (http://bit.ly/1Q3yEUq ) reported.
Those citations include 25 that involved speeding. Records also show that charges were dismissed eight times, the newspaper reported.
However, none of those citations appear on his permanent driving record. Illinois allows drivers to pay a fine and ask for court supervision in some traffic offenses, which means that as long as the driver doesn't get ticketed again within a certain amount of time, the charge won't appear on his or her permanent record with the state Secretary of State's office.
A state law enacted in January 2006 limits eligibility for court supervision to drivers who had not received that option in the previous 12 months. Still, court records show that Willis was sentenced to court supervision at least three times since July 2008, after receiving the same dispensation in the previous year.
Thirteen of the traffic tickets were issued in Madison County, where the top prosecutor said court officials can't electronically track cases outside their jurisdiction. Drivers also aren't required to appear in court for minor violations in which fines can be paid by mail and court supervisions automatically awarded.
"One of the limitations we have in our court computer system, which hopefully we will eliminate, is that we don't have the ability to see charges outside Madison County," said State's Attorney Tom Gibbons. "If you're getting court supervision in multiple jurisdictions, there's a lack of shared information."
Willis is free on a $20,000 cash bond and due in court Friday. Online court records don't list an attorney on his behalf, and Willis didn't respond to a telephone call from the newspaper seeking comment.