Driver in 2013 fatal street race misses hearing, could be sent to prison
An Antioch Township teen serving 30 months in Lake County work release jail for a fatal street race crash may be sent to prison for failing to return to jail, missing a court hearing and violating rules of his previous sentence.
Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti issued a $250,000 bench warrant for Jeremy Betancourt, 19, after he did not appear in court Wednesday as ordered, Assistant State's Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg said Thursday.
Kalcheim Rothenberg also said a $1 million arrest warrant was issued Thursday against Betancourt on charges of escape after he did not return to work-release jail as required.
The new charges come after Kalcheim Rothenberg filed a petition in court to revoke Betancourt's probation for repeatedly violating court orders while serving his periodic imprisonment sentence at the Lake County Sheriff's Community Based Correction Center.
If Rossetti finds Betancourt in violation of probation, he could be resentenced to 3 to 14 years in prison for aggravated driving under the influence that resulted in death in the 2013 crash that killed Cynthia Perez, 16, of Antioch.
If found guilty of escape, Betancourt could be sentenced to prison for an additional 2 to 5 years, Kalcheim Rothenberg said.
Betancourt was sentenced to periodic imprisonment in June, 2014, after he pleaded guilty to charges in an illegal street race with another vehicle on Route 120 in Gurnee. Police determined he was traveling at 77 to 87 mph when he lost control of the car he was driving and it flipped in the median.
Perez, who was a passenger in Betancourt's car, was ejected from the car and died at the scene, authorities said. Betancourt and two others were injured, but survived the crash.
As part of the plea agreement, Betancourt agreed to follow the rules imposed at the community-based correction center, where he served his periodic imprisonment sentence. Rossetti ordered that he was allowed to be released from the center only to attend school, court or counseling.
Court records obtained Thursday show Betancourt violated correction center rules on at least eight occasions. Violations included using vending machines without authorization, being disrespectful to officers, being absent without proper authorization, and trying to bring a cellphone and cigarettes into the center.
Rossetti warned Betancourt during his 2014 sentencing to follow the guidelines or he would be sent to prison.
Kalcheim Rothenberg said Betancourt was released from the center to go to court Wednesday on the petition to revoke his probation. However, he never showed up, she said.
Betancourt's original sentence also included four years of intense probation, performing 250 hours of community service while on probation, and no use of any drugs or alcohol. In exchange for the guilty plea, felony counts of reckless homicide, aggravated street racing and additional aggravated DUI charges were dropped.