Waukegan man gets 6 years in fatal hit and run

A Waukegan man has been sentenced to six years in prison for fleeing the scene of a fatal crash in Aurora last September.

Frederick Washington, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday to leaving the scene of a fatal accident at a hearing in front of Kane County Judge T. Jordan Gallagher. He had faced up to 15 years if convicted of the Class 1 felony at trial.

Authorities say Washington's northbound Mercury Marquis struck and killed 45-year-old Patty Kuntz as she crossed Lake Street in an Aurora crosswalk at 8:38 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2009.

Although he initially fled, Washington was persuaded to surrender within hours of the crash, after he called Aurora police to ask about the woman's condition, authorities said.

He initially was also charged with obstructing justice for damaging his own vehicle to back up claims that he was rear-ended and pushed into the pedestrian. That charge and an additional count of driving while license suspended were dismissed as a result of Wednesday's plea, according to court records.

Washington, who was never suspected of impaired driving, was given credit for 241 days served in the county jail since his arrest. By law, he must serve 50 percent of his sentence, or three years.