Peoria woman indicted on DUI charge in fatal hit-and-run. What else court records show
PEORIA — A woman accused of causing a fatal collision with a boy on his bike and then driving off was indicted Tuesday for allegedly being under the influence of cocaine at the time.
Karrie Brunswig, 43, now faces the count of aggravated driving under the influence. It alleges she had cocaine in her body when her 2001 Dodge pickup collided with an electric-powered bike ridden by 10-year-old Troy Erving.
Under Illinois law, prosecutors do not have to directly prove the Peoria woman was impaired. The state has a zero-tolerance rule regarding drugs in the body while driving.
Previously: Prosecutors: Driver in hit-and-run that fatally wounded boy had prior DUI
Brunswig previously had faced charges in the case of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and driving on a suspended license, which could have brought up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Aggravated DUI carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison if convicted, and a defendant must demonstrate "extraordinary circumstances" to a judge to avoid time behind bars.
Brunswig also faces several other pending vehicular and drug cases, court records show.
Court, police records offer more details
The fatal crash occurred in the 1600 block of Northeast Glen Oak Avenue shortly after 7 p.m. Nov. 9. Prosecutors allege Brunswig was behind the wheel of a pickup truck when it struck Erving.
A neurosurgeon from OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center was driving home when he happened upon the scene. He got out, told two women to call 911 and began performing CPR on Erving, according to search warrants filed in the Peoria County Circuit Clerk's Office.
Officers looked around for surveillance cameras at homes, but many in that block didn't have them, according to a police report obtained by the Journal Star under the Freedom of Information Act.
Remembering Troy Erving: Mom of 'energetic' 10-year-old killed in hit-and-run recalls his love of bikes, outdoors
Additional claims from passenger police say was in the truck
About six hours after the crash, a person who said she had been in the pickup truck with Brunswig went to the police station to talk to officers after she heard about the crash on the news, according to a court affidavit.
The passenger said Brunswig had driven them around Peoria and the county since 10 a.m. that day, and told police she saw Brunswig use alcohol, crack cocaine and methamphetamines, the document stated.
The passenger said they'd been in the area of the collision and feared they were involved, though she said Brunswig had told her they'd only hit a deer. She admitted to police she “waited a few hours to sober up and came in to report the incident,” according to the affidavit.
A search of Peoria County Court records indicates that passenger has not been charged in connection with the crash.
Police also matched parts of a headlight found at the scene to Brunswig’s 2001 Dodge pickup truck found at her home, court records state.
Brunswig refused to take a field sobriety test, the affidavit stated. Officers later got a court order to take blood and urine samples from her.
Another fatal crash: 'Their mother loved to sing': Victim's family speaks as driver pleads in fatal Peoria DUI
Next steps, more court cases
Brunswig was separately indicted Tuesday in another case, for allegedly driving on a suspended license and with drug paraphernalia in her car in September. Police allege she had a device to smoke marijuana in her vehicle and that she drove it without a valid license on Sept. 10
She's due to appear in court Thursday morning to formally hear the charges in both that case and the alleged DUI.
Brunswig also has been charged in two other felony cases in Peoria this year, court records show. Those two cases involve accusations of drug possession.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Karrie Brunswig, charged in fatal hit-and-run, indicted for DUI
