Kane County assistant state’s attorney recognized for DUI enforcements, prosecutions

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Katy Flannagan has been named a 2022 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hero for her work keeping the county’s roads safer.

According to a news release, MADD presented Flannagan with a plaque for her “exemplary impaired driving enforcement.”

Flannagan supervises the office’s DUI unit. During the past year, she had more than 80 pending felony DUI cases at any given time. Many of the cases involved crashes that caused serious injury or death as a result of impaired driving, the release stated.

State’s Attorney Mosser and Assistant State’s Attorney Jake Matekaitis nominated Flannagan for the award based on her willingness and skilled ability to tackle these complex cases.

According to the release, among the cases she resolved in recent months:

∗ An impaired driver who was charged with DUI three times in two months. Those cases were in addition to two prior DUI convictions. He pleaded guilty to all three offenses and was sentenced to four years in prison.

∗ An impaired driver who crashed into the vehicle of a police officer who was conducting a DUI investigation. The driver pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison.

∗ An impaired driver who drove into oncoming traffic and caused a head-on crash that left the victim permanently paralyzed. The driver was convicted by a jury and sentenced to six years in prison.

Among her pending cases:

∗ A driver who is accused of smoking marijuana, drag racing and then striking a car and killing two people.

∗ A driver accused of striking a tree, which killed his passenger.

∗ A driver accused of driving home from a bar, striking and killing a pedestrian and then fleeing the crash scene.

“We nominated ASA Flannagan to receive this recognition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving because of her commitment to justice and public safety,” Mosser stated in the release. “Prosecuting DUI cases, especially those involving multiple offenders, is not an easy task. These cases are often complicated and involve a great understanding of the nuances of DUI laws. Also, as the supervisor of the unit, she mentors newer attorneys. Her dedication is a fine example for everyone. I’m proud and grateful she is a member of my team and I’m excited to see what the future has in store for her.”