Judge hands down 10-year sentence in aggravated DUI case

WAUKEGAN – A Lake County judge sentenced a man to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in connection with a 2020 fatal drunken-driving rollover crash.

Jose S. Aguirre, 30, was convicted June 6 of nine counts of aggravated DUI after a jury trial before Judge D. Christopher Lombardo.

At the Aug. 23 sentencing hearing, prosecutors asked that Aguirre be sentenced to at least 18 years in the Department of Corrections.

“While we are disappointed the sentence was not higher, this prison term sends the correct message that dangerous drivers will be held accountable in Lake County,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a news release. “And we continue to grieve with the victims over this horrific crime. We will support them and continue our work with our community partners such as schools, the Health Department and Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists to increase awareness and save lives. I want to continue to thank our experienced trial team and victim-support professionals for their work and their assistance to the impacted families.”

About 3:20 a.m. Sept. 27, 2020, a Round Lake police officer tried to stop a white Chevrolet Traverse that was speeding. The vehicle, later determined to be owned and driven by Aguirre, refused to stop. The officer reported that the Traverse reached a speed of 123 mph in a 45-mph zone and terminated the brief chase because of safety concerns.

Shortly after, the officer came upon the Traverse, which had crashed into a wooded area near Route 134 and Main Street in Round Lake. Juan Renteria-Becerra, 34, and Edgar Herrera, 30, were passengers in the vehicle and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Jorge Trevino, 32, also was a passenger in the vehicle and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Koehl and Assistant State’s Attorney Eduardo Zermeno argued that Aguirre’s behavior on the night of the rollover crash was extremely reckless and selfish. Prosecutors pointed out that Aguirre showed a complete disregard for the safety of the passengers in the vehicle when he made the decision to elude the police by exceeding speeds of over 110 mph and argued that these irresponsible actions led to the deaths of two people.

Sentencing laws allowed Lombardo to sentence Aguirre to a range of six to 28 years in prison with the term to be served at 85%.

Before the trial, Aguirre was being held in the Lake County jail on $1 million bond. The cash bond was set by a judge before the effective date of bail reform. After the guilty verdict, Lombardo revoked Aguirre’s ability to post bail. Aguirre received 611 days of credit for time served.