A Kane County judge Wednesday cut by more than half the amount of money it would take for the suspected driver in an October fatal crash to be released from jail.
Anthony Potochney, 25, of Aurora, remains in Kane County Jail on $300,000 bail after Judge Linda Abrahamson agreed to reduce it from $750,000. If Potochney is able to bond out, he’ll be required to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, undergo a mental health examination and refrain from drinking or drug use, according to court records.
Prosecutors charged Potochney with aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and other felony counts in connection to the Oct. 7 crash on Broadway Avenue which killed 9-year-old Katie Jonak and injured two friends and her mother. Court documents state Potochney admitted to drinking beer and liquor, and smoking marijuana, in the hours before the crash.
Police said Potochney was driving a Cadillac around 9 p.m. when it drifted into oncoming traffic on Broadway near Pierce Street and broadsided a minivan driven by Jonak’s mother. She tried to avoid the collision by making a sharp left turn, but was unable to do so in time.
Potochney fled the crash scene, but was caught near the High Street Bridge. Police credited witnesses with identifying Potochney as the driver in the crash. He was taken to a hospital for minor injuries. While there, an Aurora police officer noted that Potochney refused to submit to testing that would determine his blood-alcohol content level. The officer noticed a smell of alcohol and marijuana coming from Potochney, in addition to his “slurred” speech, the officer’s DUI report states, adding that Potochney “admitted to driving the offending vehicle.”
Potochney is scheduled to return to court Jan. 25 for arraignment.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News