Barrington woman sentenced in DUI crash
Jane Hiller could have died March 30. And her neighbor Elaine Enger could have killed her.
For the crash that demolished Hiller's kitchen and her peace of mind, Cook County Judge John Scotillo sentenced Enger Wednesday to three years in prison.
Hiller was standing in her kitchen in the 700 block of Cook Street in Barrington a little after 9 p.m. when the car Enger was driving barreled through Hiller's garage and into her kitchen. Police extricated Enger from the car and charged her with aggravated drunken driving. A resident of the 100 block of East Hillside Avenue in Barrington, Enger had a blood-alcohol level of .32. At the time of the accident, she was on probation for a July 2007 DUI.
Last week at the beginning of the sentencing hearing, she pleaded guilty before Scotillo, who heard testimony from the victim at that time.
"My life has been turned upside down and my sense of safety and well-being has been damaged," said Hiller.
Scotillo also heard from Joseph Weiszmann, who witnessed Enger's car airborne.
"Boom, zing, it was up in the air about 5 feet off the ground. It would have sheared the top of my car off had I been there," Weiszmann said.
Scotillo continued sentencing to Wednesday at which time the apologetic Enger, a 55-year-old nurse, acknowledged that she is an alcoholic. She testified she received inpatient treatment following her 2007 arrest and attended Alcoholics Anonymous, but said she relapsed earlier this year.
"Once I start to drink I am no longer rational," Enger said. "My judgment is totally gone."
She asked the court's permission to enroll in a more intensive treatment program.
Reading from a prepared statement, Enger said she felt "sorry, ashamed, humiliated and remorseful."
"There are no words to express my shame and remorse over my relapse and the destruction of my neighbor's peace of mind," said Enger, adding that "sobriety must be a continuous and primary focus of my life now."
Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Shari Chandra argued for substantial prison time.
"I don't think this defendant can ever be trusted again," Chandra said. "She is a danger to the community. She is a danger to herself."
Scotillo commended Enger for the strides she has made, but declined defense attorney Warren Breslin's request for intensive probation instead of jail time.
"The sentence has to be punitive, it must protect the public, it must serve as a deterrent to others and it must be rehabilitative," Scotillo said. "Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious matter. Society treats it seriously."