A 29-year-old Zion man was being held on two counts of reckless homicide for allegedly plowing into a light pole while drunk last week and killing a passenger in his car.
William Cowart, of 2417 Sheridan Rd., was hospitalized for three days following the accident on Oct. 21 and was taken into custody upon his release over the weekend.
Cowart was being held Tuesday in Lake County Jail on $50,000 bond. Lake County Assistant State’s Atty. Steve Scheller said Cowart could face 3 to 14 years in prison if convicted of reckless homicide.
Patrol Officer Tim Zegar, an accident investigator with the Waukegan Police, said Cowart and Jacky Emerson were traveling south on Sheridan Road in a 1989 Buick Park Avenue early last Tuesday when the accident occurred.
Emerson, 29, also of Zion, was killed when the car jumped the curb and struck a light pole at 1922 N. Sheridan Rd., Waukegan.
Police said Cowart was behind the wheel and his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.