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Winthrop Harbor teen pleads guilty in fatal crash

A Winthrop Harbor teen admitted in Lake County court Monday to using her cellphone while driving the night she ran into and killed a 45-year-old Waukegan man who was bicycling in August 2014.

Justine Kerscher, now 18, was sentenced to two years of probation and 300 hours of public service after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated use of an electronic device that resulted in death after the negotiated settlement approved by Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes.

Kerscher's public service hours will be cut in half if she volunteers at a place designed to prevent distracted driving, Shanes said.

"There is no doubt you wish you could go back and do something different on that day," Shanes said in court. "I know the Bakers wish for that too."

Kerscher is also required to attend a driving safety course, is not allowed to consume drugs or alcohol while on probation and must make a $1,500 donation to Type 1 diabetes research.

Prosecutors said Kerscher was sending a text message Aug. 21 when she swerved the minivan she was driving and struck Mark Baker while he rode a bicycle at Beach Road and Pine Street in Waukegan. Baker died from his injuries three weeks later, officials said.

Officials amended the statement in court Monday to say Kerscher was using a cellphone GPS when she swerved the minivan. Either way, officials said, the charge remains the same because she was distracted by an electronic device while driving.

Drugs and alcohol played no part in the crash, authorities said.

Kerscher, who now attends the University of Illinois, cried openly in court when Baker's wife, Kim, read a prepared statement into the record.

"My daughter lost her father, my sons lost another father and I lost my best friend," Kim Baker said. "On that night, you decided a telephone was more important than my husband's life."

Kerscher was charged as an adult after the crash and freed from jail on a $25,000 signature bond.

Prosecutors said the victim's family supported the charge of aggravated use of an electronic device instead of a more serious reckless homicide charge.

Kerscher addressed the family in court, saying through tears, "I just want to apologize for all I did. I am so sorry."

Teenager pleads not guilty in fatal crash

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