Champaign teen admits texting in fatal accident

URBANA -- A Champaign teenager who admitted he was texting when he struck and fatally injured an elderly pedestrian in Urbana has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the May 16 accident.

Nineteen-year-old Young Kim pleaded guilty Friday in Champaign County Circuit Court to failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and texting while driving.

Police say Kim struck 84-year-old Perfecto Perez of Chicago in downtown Urbana. They say Perez had been at a downtown restaurant to celebrate a relative's graduation and left for a few minutes to check on his dog, who was in his parked car. They say Perez was not in a crossing zone when he was struck. He died two days later.

Kim was fined $1,000 for the failure to reduce speed and $75 for the texting while driving.