A DeKalb woman is facing driving under the influence charges in connection with a hay wagon traffic crash in Kendall County last fall than ended in multiple injuries when 14 adult passengers were tossed off the ride.
Kaitlin Minick, 22, now faces additional charges of driving under the influence of drugs and six counts of aggravated driving under the influence in connection with the crash, according to a press release.
Minick was originally ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and causing bodily harm to another person, a Class A misdemeanor, Kendall County Sheriff’s officials said.
The additional charges were authorized by the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office after a lengthy investigation by the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, police said.
Kendall County Sheriff’s deputies responded at about 5:37 p.m. Oct. 12, 2019, to the area of River Road, between Blackhawk Road and Fox River Drive, in Little Rock Township, due to a collision between a vehicle and a wagon being towed by a farm tractor out on a hayride excursion.
Minick was driving west on River Road when the collision with the hay wagon occurred, Kendall County Sheriff’s Office officials said at the time. Her vehicle flipped over in the crash. She was treated by paramedics and released at the scene, police said.
Eleven passengers on the hayride were transported to area hospitals for treatment of varying degrees of injuries. Three of the passengers that were hospitalized were initially listed in serious condition.
The driver of the wagon, Gary Sleezer, of the 12000 block of Andrew Street in Plano, was ticketed last year for improper tractor operation, the sheriff’s office said at the time. Sleezer was operating a farm tractor on a roadway that was not being used in connection with farming operations, officials said.
A warrant for Minick’s arrest was issued Feb. 27. She was taken into custody Friday in the 300 block of East Main Street in Yorkville.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.