Ingleside man charged with reckless homicide in pedestrian death last June
A 40-year-old Ingleside man faces reckless homicide and other charges after he was accused of striking a pedestrian who later died of his injuries in June 2021.
Brian J. King, of the 35500 block of Tami Lane, was held Tuesday in the Lake County jail on $500,000 bail on charges involving the death of then-53-year-old Michael Brennan, also of Ingleside.
According to police, Brennan was walking on the south shoulder of Route 59 near Stanton Point Road in Ingleside about 6:40 p.m. June 3 when he was struck by a car driven by King.
A witness called 911 to report a vehicle swerving off the roadway. As King approached Stanton Point Road, he continued swerving out of his lane and struck Brennan, according to Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli.
Police at the time said there are no sidewalks in that area and it wasn't known why the Chrysler 300 driven by King veered onto the shoulder.
Brennan was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical condition. He died of his injuries nearly two weeks later on June 16. King was not injured.
Police at the time did not name King as the driver but said the Lake County sheriff's office technical crash investigation unit was working to determine if impairment or distraction were factors in the crash.
An arrest warrant was issued Monday and King was taken into custody at his home without any issue, police said.
Covelli said King had numerous drugs in his system at the time of the crash, leading the Lake County state's attorney's office to approve a charge of reckless homicide, a felony punishable by 3 to 5 years if found guilty.
King also was charged with aggravated driving with any amount of a drug in breath, blood or urine and aggravated DUI causing death. Both are felonies punishable by three to 14 years if found guilty.
Covelli said the investigation included a detailed exam and analysis of the scene, witness interviews, vehicle inspections and reviewing materials obtained via subpoena.
"Anytime we investigate a crash involving death of great bodily harm, a significant amount of investigation goes into the case and requires hundreds of hours of work," Covelli said. "We want to ensure that we are accurate and complete, as we want to do justice for the victim and hold the offender accountable."
Sheriff John D. Idleburg commended the effort as well as the witness who called 911 and stayed at the scene to provide a statement to investigators.
"This was a completely preventable tragedy which took the life of an innocent person because someone made the careless and selfish decision to drive impaired," Idleburg said in a news release. "I hope this conclusion brings the first steps of closure to the Brennan family."
King must post $50,000 to be released. His next court date is May 2.