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Huntley man charged with DUI, reckless homicide in fatal crash

A Huntley man has been charged with aggravated DUI and reckless homicide in the death of his girlfriend in an Elgin crash this spring after test results showed he had more than three times the legal threshold for THC in his blood, according to court records and a police report.

Evan A. Smorovsky, 34, of the 11700 block of Cape Cod Road, and his girlfriend, Amanda M. Matthiessen, 24, of Volo, were injured after the van driven by Smorovsky crossed into oncoming lanes on the 600 block of Big Timber Road the morning of March 22 and collided head-on with a semitruck.

Matthiessen died from her injuries shortly afterward, and Smorovsky was hospitalized for a fractured sternum, punctured lung and dislocated hip, according to an Elgin police report obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Smorovsky told paramedics on the way to and at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin that he was taking methadone from a Chicago clinic and he was on the way to traffic court that morning. He refused to provide a blood or urine sample, "advising he would test positive for drugs," according to a police affidavit used to secure a search warrant.

A hospital drug screen was negative for opioids but did test positive for benzodiazepines and THC, according to the police report, so authorities obtained a search warrant the next day for hospital samples of Smorovsky's blood and urine.

A May 9, 2018, lab test showed Smorovsky had 16.8 nanograms of THC, the active chemical compound in marijuana, per milliliter of blood, according to documents obtained under FOIA.

Police also inspected the semitruck and concluded there were no equipment violations or failures.

The driver of the truck was not charged with any wrongdoing, according to Elgin police records.

Authorities issued a warrant for Smorovsky on Tuesday, and he was arrested Friday. He also received traffic citations for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and driving in the wrong lane, court records show.

Smorovsky is being held at the Kane County jail on $75,000 bail, meaning he must post $7,500 to be released while the case is pending. If he does post bond, he must wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet.

He is next due in court Wednesday and faces a prison term of three to 14 years if convicted of the most severe charge of aggravated DUI.

Volo woman killed in crash

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