Wisconsin man pleads guilty in fatal DUI crash, sentenced to seven years in prison
A Wisconsin man was sentenced to seven years in prison for driving into and killing a pedestrian and injuring another in Waukegan while high on heroin in 2013.
Aaron B. Stoen, 26, will have to serve 85 percent of the prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole after he pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated driving under the influence of drugs that resulted in death.
Stoen has received credit for 237 days served and was granted substance abuse counseling as part of his sentence.
The Twin Lakes man has been held in the Lake County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail since the Oct. 26 crash in the 2900 block of Sunset Avenue that killed Fahim Zamich, 30, of Chicago,
Police said Zamich and Eric Niamba, of Chicago, were walking door to door selling satellite television packages when Stoen's vehicle went out of control, jumped the curb and struck them.
A small amount of heroin and drug paraphernalia was found in Stoen's vehicle. At the time, he was driving on a revoked license.
Stoen admitted in court he used heroin before the crash.
Prosecutors dropped counts of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, aggravated DUI while driving on a suspended or revoked license, and reckless homicide, as part of the plea agreement in front of Judge George Bridges.
Had the case gone to trial, Stoen could have been sentenced up to 14 years in prison.
During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Danielle Pascucci read a victim impact statement from Niamba, in which he said his life fell apart after the crash. He said he lost his apartment, his credit has tumbled, he has had to routinely rely on help.
"Whatever sentence the offender receives, it will not change the fact that our lives were completely devastated that day," Pascucci read.