An Arlington Heights woman is scheduled to be arraigned this week on charges that she was driving drunk in 2023 when she collided with another vehicle, killing its driver
Jaclyn Brennan, 29, is expected to formally enter her plea to aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges at a hearing Thursday in Lake County Court.
She is charged in connection with the May 7, 2023, death of Ezequiel Martinez, 61, of Mundelein. A fundraising page posted after his death said Martinez was out running errands for his family at around 11:35 p.m. when his car was hit by one being driven by Brennan.
The crash at the intersection of U.S. Route 45 and Peterson Road in Libertyville, trapped Martinez inside his vehicle. Firefighters had to extricate Martinez, who was reportedly not breathing when first responders arrived, authorities said. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital emergency room.
Libertyville Police Sgt. Dusan Racic said Brennan sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Police obtained a search warrant for blood drawn while Brennan was treated at a hospital. The results showed that she was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit of .08, Racic said.
She was indicted by a grand jury in late July and appeared in court last week, where prosecutors had filed to have her detained until trial. However, a judge denied the motion, according to court records.
Brennan is scheduled to formally enter a plea when she appears in court again this week.
According to the GoFundMe page, Martinez was married and the father of two children.