Concluding one of the stranger (and sadder) DUI stories from last year, earlier this week Angus Lake decided to plead guilty to aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death.
For the charge, Lake could face 14 years in jail, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. However, that may be a small price to pay compared to the personal losses that the man suffered.
In April, horse trainer Michelle Eustis and her friend Heather France took their horses out for a ride at Balmoral Park in Crete. Eustis’ companion, Angus Lake, stayed behind while the two women went riding and drank, reports the Sun-Times.
Lake reportedly had five or six shots before he went looking for France and Eustis at the Crete racetrack shortly after 5 a.m., reports the Sun-Times. The road was dark and when Lake’s truck approached the women on the road, and he did not see them in time to stop.
When the women were right in front of Lake, the 42-year-old man hit the brakes hard sending his truck into a spin. Lake struck the horse, throwing the women from the animal. Eustis suffered a head trauma and died. France was also injured.
At the time of the accident, Lake had a blood alcohol content of 0.147, nearly twice the legal limit.
This week, Lake was to go on trial for the DUI death. But ten minutes before the trial was to start, the man pleaded guilty to an aggravated DUI.
He faces up to 14 years in jail and he will learn his fate in March at the sentencing hearing. A Will County judge may consider several factors like any past DUI arrests, Lake’s contrition, and any other circumstances in determining the appropriate amount of jail time. A judge may also consider the fact that Lake pleaded guilty, sparing Eustis’ family a trial, and could issue a more lenient sentence.
Angus Lake pleaded guilty to killing his companion Michelle Eustis last year. He faces 14 years in jail and will learn his fate in March.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- Mich. man pleads guilty in fatal Chicago-area racetrack DUI; truck killed woman riding a horse (The Associated Press)
- Illinois DUI Laws (FindLaw)
- Angus Lake Charged With Aggravated DUI For Fatal Racetrack Accident (FindLaw’s Chicago DUI Blog)
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