Man wanted on DUI charges in 2016 fatal Barrington Hills crash
A Carpentersville man is wanted on charges he drove drunk, killed an infant and injured three others in a Barrington Hills crash in November 2016.
Brayer Arias-Colazo, 24, of the 100 block of Woodland Court, was charged April 19 with eight counts of felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless homicide and speeding more than 35 mph over the limit on Nov. 3, 2016, according to Kane County court records.
He is not yet in custody.
According to court records and police, Arias-Colazo had a blood-alcohol concentration of .099 percent when he was going 82 mph in a 45 mph zone while heading south on Route 25 in a 2001 Ford when he crashed into a vehicle being driven by Gina Vargas, formerly of Carpentersville and now of Crystal Lake.
The legal BAC threshold in Illinois is .08 percent.
The impact killed Vargas' baby, Merediz Lambert, and injured her and two other females in the vehicle, according to court records.
Bail for Colazo, who court records indicate was not injured in the crash, has been set at $250,000, meaning he must post $25,000 to be released while the case is pending.
A message left for Barrington Hills police seeking an explanation as to why charges were not filed until last week was not returned.
Vargas filed a lawsuit against Colazo in May 2017 seeking damages for the crash, arguing he was negligent and drunk.
Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit was Skeeter's Saloon, 1691 Elgin Road, Carpentersville, which was accused of overserving Colazo that night.
The lawsuit argued Colazo was not only speeding, but driving without headlights late at night when he struck Vargas' vehicle.
The lawsuit was settled in April 2018, records show, for $50,000, which was the limit on Colazo's insurance policy. The settlement acknowledged there was a crash, but did not address allegations that Colazo was drunk at the time.
"The defendant was traveling southbound on Route 25 at a high rate of speed without his headlamps illuminated at night when it struck plaintiff's vehicle as they were making a turn onto Silverstone Drive. Plaintiff's vehicle turned in front of the vehicle being driven by defendant Brayer Arias Colazo since she did not see his vehicle coming," read part of the court settlement.
It was unclear what judgment, if any, was entered against Skeeter's. A message left with Kevin Juston, who was Vargas' attorney in the lawsuit, was not immediately returned.
If convicted of the most severe charges, Colazo faces a prison term of three to 14 years that must be served at 85 percent instead of the customary 50 percent for most felonies.