St. Charles prison guard pleads not guilty in '08 fatal crash

A guard at a St. Charles youth prison pleaded not guilty Wednesday to DUI and reckless homicide charges stemming from a 2008 crash that killed a 53-year-old man.

Reginald Hearon, 50, of Plano, is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and codeine in the Oct. 2, 2008 collision that killed Craig Smith of St. Charles.

Hearon, a corrections officer at the Illinois Youth Center on Route 38, was indicted March 2 on charges of reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated driving under the influence of drugs and aggravated driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs. If convicted of the most serious offenses, he would face up to 14 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Hearon was drunk and under the influence of codeine when - while driving to work - he attempted to pass vehicles in a no-passing zone on Fabyan Parkway in Blackberry Township and collided head-on with Smith's SUV.

Authorities say Hearon, who is on paid administrative leave from his prison job, did not have a prescription for codeine.

His attorney, Richard Irvin, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Hearon remains in custody at the Kane County jail on $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to return to court March 19 for a bond reduction hearing in front of Judge T. Jordan Gallagher.