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Carol Stream man, convicted in fatal 2000 DUI, back behind bars

A former Carol Stream truck driver convicted in a fatal 2000 DUI crash that killed a Schaumburg teen in Wood Dale is back in jail after being accused of driving without a license for the second time since August.

DuPage Judge Brian Telander set bail at $50,000 for 59-year-old Richard Gancarz Thursday and warned him of the 14 years in prison he faces for allegedly continuing to drive since having his license revoked after the June 16, 2000, crash that killed 17-year-old Aric Wooley.

Prosecutors charged Gancarz with multiple felony counts of driving while his license was revoked based on his earlier conviction of aggravated DUI involving drugs.

Gancarz was sentenced to 14 years in prison and served nearly 11 before being released July 30, 2014. He completed the parole portion of his sentence in August.

According to court records, police stopped Gancarz around 6 p.m. Nov. 14 for making an improper turn while driving west on Schick Road near County Farm Road in Hanover Park.

Gancarz also was ticketed Aug. 23, just weeks after completing his parole, in Wheaton for driving with a revoked license when police stopped him for an obstructed front window.

"It's remarkable how little impact a 14-year sentence had on this defendant," Assistant State's Attorney Shanti Kulkarni said. "He was arrested in August and did it again in November."

During his 2003 trial, Gancarz was convicted after toxicology experts proved he was high on marijuana.

"The amount of THC in his system was staggering," Kulkarni said Thursday.

Gancarz is next due in court Feb. 23.

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