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Man pleads not guilty to reckless homicide in pedestrian death last June

An Ingleside man pleaded not guilty Monday to reckless homicide and other charges related to striking a pedestrian who later died of his injuries in June 2021, authorities said.

Brian J. King, 40, of the 35500 block of Tami Lane, remains in Lake County jail on $500,000 bail He must post $50,000 cash to be released.

According to police, 53-year-old Ingleside resident Michael 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 Libertyville 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 sheriff's technical crash investigation unit was working to determine if impairment or distraction were factors in the crash.

King was taken into custody last month without issue, police said.

Covelli said King had numerous drugs in his system at the time of the crash, which led the Lake County state's attorney's office to approve a charge of reckless homicide, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison after a conviction.

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 up to 14 years.

King's next court hearing is set for June 17.

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