Spring Grove man guilty in 2016 DUI crash that killed his passenger
A McHenry County jury this week convicted a 37-year-old man of driving drunk and causing a 2016 crash in Spring Grove that killed his passenger.
Ryan J. Heineman was convicted of two counts of felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol in the June 26, 2016, crash that killed Tanya McDonough, 33, according to prosecutors and McHenry County court records.
According to prosecutors, authorities found Heineman about 6 a.m. wandering on the side of Route 12, east of Sunset Road, with his Jeep smashed against a tree in a berm a short distance from the road. A passer-by who saw people in a roadside ditch there had called police.
McDonough, also of Spring Grove, was found in a ditch nearby and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paramedics took Heineman to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, where a blood draw showed his blood-alcohol concentration to be .131. The legal threshold for drivers in Illinois is .08.
Prosecutors said Heineman, who had injuries consistent with driver's-side seat belt impact bruises and contusions, admitted to officers he had been drinking.
Judge Sharon Prather will sentence Heineman on April 4. He faces a punishment of three to 14 years in prison and, under state law, must serve 85 percent of any sentence.
Heineman, who does not have any previous felony or DUI offenses in McHenry County, is free on bond.