Driver who killed motorcyclist, then fled, gets 4 years' probation
An Elgin man who fled after hitting and killing a motorcyclist near St. Charles in 2021 was sentenced Wednesday to four years of probation.
Ruben Campuzano, 49, of the 500 block of Harrison Street will be placed in Kane County's Drug Court program, starting with inpatient treatment, Judge David Kliment ruled.
Campuzano pleaded guilty on May 11 to reckless homicide and failure to report an accident causing death for the Sept. 13, 2021, crash on Route 25 near Gilbert Street.
Ron Siwula, 72, of St. Charles died of his injuries two weeks later.
Campuzano was arrested four days after the crash. A mechanic who had previously worked on his SUV recognized it in a video of the crash that was publicized on social media and television and called the Kane County sheriff's office.
The video from a nearby business showed that a Harley-Davidson three-wheeled motorcycle was stopped at a red light on Route 25 when a red or maroon SUV hit it from behind.
The motorcycle flipped during the collision, and the SUV teetered on two wheels before driving off, according to Kane County Assistant State's Attorney David Belshan.
Belshan asked for eight years in prison on the reckless homicide charge.
A substance-abuse counselor at the Kane County jail testified Wednesday that Campuzano has a long-standing problem with alcohol. He said Campuzano has been a strong participant in the jail's recovery program.
Belshan argued that it was highly likely Campuzano had been drinking before the crash, and that that was why he fled. He said an ex-girlfriend of Campuzano's told authorities she found him sleeping or passed out in his Jeep after the crash.
But Kliment said that because no evidence had been presented of alcohol's being involved, he could not consider it as an aggravating factor. Kliment said state law required him to sentence Campuzano to probation or conditional discharge unless he believed imprisonment was needed to protect society or that conditional discharge or probation would deprecate the seriousness of Campuzano's conduct. The law did allow him, however, to find that a combination of drug court and probation was necessary to protect the public and rehabilitate Campuzano, Kliment said.
If Campuzano does not comply with drug court requirements, Kliment could resentence him.