Jury Finds Driver Guilty in Fatal Crash

A Yorkville man charged with two counts of felony drunk driving related to an April fatality was found guilty, according to a press release from the Kendall County State's Attorney.

It took the jury less than two hours to find Keith M. Stanislaus guilty of two counts of Aggravated Driving under the Influence of Alcohol.

“These cases are truly difficult ones to prosecute. Both the victim and the Stanislaus were friends in this case and he will have to live with the fact that he was responsible for the death of his friend by the bad decisions he made. Unfortunately, this is just one more example of when alcohol and speed can lead to deadly and horrific consequences,” Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weiss said in a released statement.

According to reports Stanislaus, of the 500 block of Yellowstone Lane, hit several trees and broke a utility pole off Kennedy Road near McHugh Road in the 1999 Honda Accord he was driving. The crash happened at about 12:40 a.m. April 26.

, died on the scene, while Stanislaus and a 20-year-old front-seat passenger were injured.

Police found Stanislaus outside the vehicle with slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol, court records indicate. Police also found a broken bottle of rum and a metal pipe at the scene, court records indicate.

Hospital workers told police that Stanislaus’ blood-alcohol level from a blood sample medical personnel took was 0.19 percent, court records indicate. The legal driving limit is 0.08 percent.

Witnesses estimated the speed just prior to the crash to be in excess of 80 miles per hour. During the two-day trial a crash reconstruction expert put the speed at the time of the crash between 66 and 77 miles per hour.

Following the guilty verdict Stanislaus’ bail was immediately revoked and a sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Nov. 13.  He faces a sentencing range of three to 14 years in prison.