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Man arrested in 2016 Barrington Hills crash that killed infant

A Carpentersville man was arrested on charges he was drunk when he caused a November 2016 Barrington Hills crash that killed an infant and injured three others.

Brayer Arias-Colazo, 24, of the 100 block of Woodland Court, was taken into custody Monday by Carpentersville and Barrington Hills police officers, according to the Kane County sheriff's office. He posted $10,000 bond Wednesday and was released from the county jail.

Arias-Colazo was charged April 19 with eight counts of felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless homicide and speeding more than 35 mph over the limit Nov. 3, 2016, Kane County court records show.

A message left for Barrington Hills police seeking an explanation as to why charges were not filed until recently was not returned.

According to court records and police, Arias-Colazo had a blood-alcohol concentration of .099 when he was going 82 mph in a 45 mph zone while heading south on Route 25 in a 2001 Ford.

He crashed into a vehicle being driven by Gina Vargas, formerly of Carpentersville and now of Crystal Lake. The impact killed Vargas' baby, Merediz Lambert, and injured Vargas and two other female passengers, according to court records.

Vargas filed a lawsuit against Arias-Colazo in May 2017 seeking damages for the crash, arguing he was negligent and drunk.

Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit was Skeeter's Saloon, 1691 Elgin Road, Carpentersville, which was accused of overserving Arias-Colazo that night. It was unclear what judgment, if any, was entered against Skeeter's.

A message left with Kevin Juston, who was Vargas' attorney in the lawsuit, was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit argued Arias-Colazo was not only speeding, but also driving without headlights late at night when he struck Vargas' vehicle.

The lawsuit was settled in April 2018 for $50,000, records show, which was the limit on Arias-Colazo's insurance policy. The settlement acknowledged there was a crash but did not address allegations that Arias-Colazo was drunk at the time.

If convicted of the most severe charges, Arias-Colazo faces up to 14 years in prison and must serve at least 85 percent instead of the customary 50 percent for most felonies.

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