Witnesses testify in underage drinking case

A pair of reluctant witnesses who answered questions only after receiving immunity opened testimony Monday in the trial of a McHenry man accused of supplying beer to a teenage girl who later suffered fatal injuries while driving drunk.

Edward Jungmann, 24, faces a charge of unlawful delivery of alcohol to a minor stemming from the investigation into a March 17, 2005, crash that claimed the life of Jamie Lynn Smith, 17, of Hebron.

Authorities say Jungmann supplied two cases of beer earlier that day to a drinking party attended by Smith and a group of her friends. If convicted of the Class A misdemeanor, he could face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

One of Smith's friends, Krista Folsom, testified she was with Jungmann earlier that day when she and a group of friends drove him to a local grocery store to buy beer. Folsom testified that she never saw Jungmann purchase the alcohol, but that he went into the store for that reason, came out with two cases of beer and placed them in the trunk of the car.

Folsom, along with fellow witness Robert Christophersen, initially refused to answer a prosecutor's questions Monday by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. They both relented after presiding Judge Charles Weech granted them immunity from criminal prosecution based on their testimony.

The trial is expected to conclude today with testimony from the party's host, 19-year-old Jenna Christophersen, and perhaps Jungmann, taking the witness stand.

Jenna Christophersen at one time also faced charges related to Smith's death, but they were dismissed by a court that ruled that as a minor she could not be charged for supplying alcohol to another minor. That ruling is under appeal.

Smith, authorities say, was driving while intoxicated after the party when she lost control of her car on Route 47 near Hebron and struck a telephone pole. After nearly eight months of rehabilitation, Smith died in November 2005 from injuries sustained in the crash.

Just before the trial began, Jungmann waived his right to a jury, leaving the case in the hands of Weech.