A Sandwich woman was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated DUI causing a death and reckless homicide, following a three-vehicle crash Oct. 13 that killed a Plano man and seriously injured another person.
Britnie K. Arend was initially charged with DUI of drugs after police said her car crossed the center line and caused a head-on collision, but DeKalb County Sheriff's Lt. Jim Burgh told Shaw Media then investigators couldn't identify the category of drugs police said Arend used, citing investigation information would be sent to a lab for testing.
Arend was arrested at her Sandwich residence in the 300 block of West First Street, and she is being held at the DeKalb County Jail on $200,000 bond, needing $20,000 for release, issued with the warrant for her arrest by DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pederson. Arend will appear before another judge Thursday for a bond hearing on her charges.
The charges include 19 counts of aggravated DUI causing death and reckless homicide, both felonies, with sentencing ranges of three to seven years if she is convicted.
According to the initial accident report, Arend was driving south on East Sandwich Road, south of Chicago Road, in Sandwich, and crossed the center line into the northbound lane, sidesweeping a rental box truck driven by Christopher K. Jason, 36, of Sandwich. The vehicle driven by Arend continued into the northbound lane, striking another vehicle driven by Gary J. Schmidt, the Plano man who died, head on.
Jason and passenger Ricardo Ramos-Moctezuma, 30, of Aurora, in the box truck were treated and released on scene by Sandwich Fire Protection District officials. Arend was flown from the scene to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.