Driver charged in St. Charles crash that killed motorcyclist ordered to remain in jail

A West Chicago woman accused of driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed a motorcyclist last week in a St. Charles crash will remain in jail while awaiting trial, a Kane County judge ruled Monday.

Morgan Mroz, 29, is charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence in connection with the April 1 crash that killed Ryan Hresil, 27, of Plato Center

Authorities say the crash occurred about 10:50 p.m. on Fifth Avenue (Route 25) at Country Club Road, when Mroz’s SUV turned left in front of a motorcycle driven by Hresil.

Assistant Kane County State’s Attorney Katy Flannagan said Monday that Mroz refused to take a breath test at the scene, but a blood test done several hours later at a hospital indicated she had a blood alcohol content of .13. The legal limit is .08.

Police also found a sandwich bag containing a white powdery substance and several rolled-up dollar bills with that substance on it, Flannagan said. A preliminary test showed the powder contained cocaine, she added.

Officers also found several empty cans of an alcoholic seltzer in the vehicle, Judge D.J. Tegeler said.

According to Flannagan, Mroz has a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction stemming from a 2019 crash in Campton Hills, in which her vehicle hit a mailbox, fire hydrant, a large rock and then a tree, in a residential neighborhood. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to court supervision.

“She got her chance at figuring this (drinking alcohol) out and preventing this entirely preventable tragedy. And she threw it in the trash,” Flannagan said.

Tegeler said that was a significant factor in his decision to order Mroz detained while her new case is pending.

“You would think having that kind of accident would make you think before you ingest alcohol and drive,” Tegeler said.

Releasing Mroz on electronic home monitoring and having her wear an alcohol monitor or ordering her to undergo daily breath testing would not be adequate to prevent her from drinking and driving again, he added.

Several dozen people attended Monday’s court hearing, including Hresil’s parents and representatives from ABATE, a motorcyclists’ safety and rights advocacy group.

There will be a wake for Hresil from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Yurs Funeral Home in St. Charles. There will be a burial service at 11 a.m. Saturday at Plato Center Cemetery.

He is survived by his parents, Jerry and Susan Hresil; brothers Kyle and Benjamin; and a fiancee.