Lake Villa Township teen sentenced to probation, jail for leaving the scene of a fatal crash
A Lake Villa Township teen was sentenced to two years probation and one year of periodic imprisonment for leaving the scene of a fatal crash in June, lawyers said Friday.
The sentence for Abby C. Hansen, 18, of the 37000 block of North Hillside Drive, could be reduced to home confinement in 30 days if she performs well while serving time in work-release jail, defense attorney Jed Stone said.
Stone said Judge Victoria Rossetti also sentenced Hansen on Thursday to 200 hours of community service, ordered her to take part in a live victim impact panel, and was told she must not consume alcohol or drugs. The state has revoked Hansen's driver's license, he said.
"Abby feels the weight of that incident every day of her life," Stone said.
Hansen was facing up to three years in prison after pleading guilty March 6 to failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death. The charge was also probationable.
That charge was reduced as part of a plea deal after Hansen previously pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of felony leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Had she been found guilty of those charges at trial, she could have been sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Lake County sheriff's deputies found 52-year-old Brett M. Beckett critically injured on the north shoulder of Grass Lake Road near North Sunset Drive in Lake Villa Township about 9:30 p.m. June 9, authorities said. Beckett was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he died.
The driver of the vehicle left the scene before deputies arrived, authorities said. After an extensive investigation, a deputy found the 2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara at an Antioch body shop with damage consistent with striking a pedestrian, authorities said. The vehicle was seized and taken to a secure evidence storage facility for processing.
Rossetti said during the plea deal that Hansen left work at Gurnee Mills and was heading to a party when she struck Beckett on the side of the road. Rossetti added that Becket was wearing all black when he was hit, and had a blood alcohol content .19%.
Stone said Friday that Beckett actually had a blood alcohol content of .265%, and that other motorists called in complaints to police on the night of the crash that Beckett was spotted stumbling in the roadway and presumably intoxicated.
"Abby was a child who panicked on a country road in the dark after her car hit something in the roadway," Stone said. "That something turned out to be someone - Brett Beckett."
Stone later added, "This is a tragedy. We respect and understand the Beckett family loss."