Probation for driver in fatal 2017 Barrington Hills crash
A Rolling Meadows man charged with reckless homicide in connection with a 2017 car crash that killed a Barrington High School student has been sentenced to probation, court records show.
Matthew Zeek, 25, of the 2400 block of Sigwalt Street, faced the charge after prosecutors said he was speeding when his car left a road in Barrington Hills and hit a tree. The single-vehicle crash killed 18-year-old Rebecca Soderman of Lake Barrington and injured a 16-year-old Barrington girl.
Authorities said Zeek was driving 93 mph in a 25 mph zone when the crash occurred about 9 p.m. March 4, 2017, on a narrow stretch of Plum Tree Road near Rock Ridge Road.
Zeek pleaded guilty Thursday in a deal negotiated with prosecutors, court records show, and has been sentenced to remain on probation until Feb. 15, 2022. Authorities agreed not to prosecute him on a separate charge of reckless driving causing harm to a child.
In addition to probation, McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge sentenced Zeek to complete 200 hours of public service, pay $1,000 in restitution and attend a victim-impact panel. Court records show Zeek also was assessed $2,918 in fees and has $1,418 left to pay.