Marquette Heights resident Jamie D. Duhs pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated DUI following a serious car crash that left her friend dead, the Peoria Journal-Star reports. She could have faced 14 years in prison for the additional aggravated DUI counts and reckless homicide charge, which were dropped in return for her plea.
Ms. Duhs' sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 15, where the 18-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison. That means she will have spent more than one-thirds of her life in prison upon release if she receives the maximum sentence. Her friend, 18-year-old Ashlyn Payne, died of massive brain injuries.
While Ms. Duhs is under the legal age to consume alcohol, she certainly is old enough to be tried as an adult.
Some people may argue that Ms. Duhs has suffered enough but it's unclear what her Illinois DUI lawyer will be able to do for her, given the reported details of the incident.
Ms. Duhs crashed her car on Illinois Route 29 on Oct. 16 after she and her friend were denied entry to a concert because they were too drunk. Officers say Ms. Duhs got back into her car upon seeing them and sped off; initiating a high-speed chase.
The officer said he stopped chasing her vehicle after speeds exceeded 90 mph but that her car (estimated to be traveling about 104 mph) veered off the road and struck a guard rail. Ms. Payne was pronounced brain dead at the hospital and kept alive for organ donation, according to the Pekin Daily Times.
Ms. Duhs did not suffer serious injuries and was found to have a BAC of .213 percent, more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Related Resources:
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DUI - Sentencing (FindLaw)
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Underage Drinking Continues to Plague Colleges (FindLaw KnowledgeBase)
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Directory of Chicago DUI Lawyers (FindLaw)
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