OFF THE WIRE
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/2294516,2_1_AU20_FATAL_S1-100520.article Driver from Aurora is charged in fatal crash
May 20, 2010
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@stmedianetwork.com ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP -- An Aurora woman turned herself in at the Kane County Sheriff's Department Wednesday after being indicted by a Kane County grand jury on reckless homicide charges in a 2009 crash that killed a St. Charles couple and injured several other motorcyclists.
Alia N. Bernard, 25, of the 1500 block of West Galena Boulevard, faces two counts of felony reckless homicide and one count of driving under the influence of drugs, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.
Bernard turned herself in on Wednesday, posted $5,000 bond and was released. She will appear in Kane County Court on June 2 before Judge James C. Hallock.
According to prosecutors, Bernard was under the influence of marijuana when she crashed into a line of cars, pushing them into passing motorcyclists, at about 8:20 a.m. May 23, 2009, at Route 47 and Smith Road just south of Elburn.
Deputies said a vehicle had stopped on Route 47, and was waiting for several motorcycles to pass before making a left turn onto Smith Road.
Two additional vehicles stopped behind the waiting car when Bernard's car rear-ended the third stopped vehicle.
The chain reaction pushed the first vehicle into the path of the oncoming motorcycles.
Motorcyclist Wade Thomas, 44, of St. Charles, and his passenger -- his wife, Denise, 45 -- were killed.
If convicted of the most serious charges, Bernard faces a sentence of probation or two to five years in prison, prosecutors said.
At the time of the accident, Bernard was given a traffic citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. That charge was dropped, however, while authorities awaited toxicology tests results, and while the Kane County sheriff's office continued to investigate the case.
