Judge won't reconsider prison term for fatal DUI

A McHenry County judge Friday refused to reconsider the 9-year prison sentence he gave a Carpentersville woman whose drunken driving caused a fatal 2005 crash.

Judge Joseph Condon rejected arguments by Beata Zarzecki's defense that he did not give fair consideration to a probation sentence instead of prison and ignored numerous factors that indicated a harsh prison sentence is excessive.

Zarzecki, 47, is serving the sentence on an aggravated DUI conviction stemming from a July 2005 crash that claimed the life of 63-year-old Algonquin resident Charlotte Rymark.

Authorities said Zarzecki was driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit when he car slammed into Rymark's on Route 31 near Three Oaks Road in Crystal Lake.

Zarzecki's attorney appeared in court Friday seeking a reduced sentence, arguing that the 9-year term failed to take into account Zarzecki's lack of prior criminal record, mental health troubles and the effect it would have on her 10-year-old daughter.

Condon actually twice sentenced Zarzecki to 9-year terms: first, in January 2007 and again in July after a state appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing.

Zarzecki is likely to appeal the sentence a second time.