McHenry woman charged in hit-and-run of Island Lake man ‘left him for dead,’ prosecutor said

A McHenry woman charged with fatally striking a young man with her car in September didn’t stop or call police after the crash, had been drinking in bars earlier that night and afterward “concealed” her vehicle in her boyfriend’s garage, authorities alleged Tuesday during the woman’s initial court appearance.

Christine S. Eilers, 50, of was arrested Monday in connection to the Sept. 27 hit-and-run death of Austin Stanek, 24, according to a release from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Eilers is charged with felony counts of failure to report a crash involving death and leaving the scene of a crash involving death, court records show.

Eilers made her initial appearance on the charges in McHenry County court Tuesday afternoon, where she was allowed to be released with conditions and electronic monitoring while she awaits trial. Authorities said the defendant also goes by the name Christine Pine but that Eilers is her legal name.

Stanek, of Island Lake, was walking on the 4300 block of Roberts Road near Island Lake with a group of pedestrians about 10:48 p.m. on Sept. 29, when a white vehicle struck Stanek, authorities said after the crash. According to reports at the time, the group was walking on or near the side of the road, and the make and model of the vehicle was unknown, according to investigators.

Stanek was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington, where he later was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.

In court Tuesday, McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Marin said Eilers struck Stanek from behind with her car and drove on, “never slowing down or stopping.”

Later that night, according to the prosecutor, Eilers went to her boyfriend’s home in Lakemoor, told him she had been in an accident and was “distraught,” and that’s when they “concealed” her white SUV in his garage underneath a covering.

When the investigation eventually led to that car, authorities found that it had damage that was consistent with the crash and the debris that was left behind, Marin said in court Tuesday. The car’s internal GPS system and surveillance footage showed that she had been drinking at two bars earlier that night, and the GPS system also placed her car at the scene of the crash when it occurred, Marin said. He also alleged that Eilers called her attorney the night of the crash but did not call 911.

Eilers' attorney, Matthew Hickey, noted that she told her lawyers where her car could be found and that was shared with authorities.

Marin asked for Eilers to be held in McHenry County Jail while she awaits trial, noting that she left the state shortly after the crash occurred. Hickey countered that Eilers merely went to Iowa for a brief visit with family but has been in McHenry since. Judge Cynthia Lamb ruled that Eilers could be released from jail with electronic monitoring and house arrest.

Eilers appeared at the hearing in jail-issued clothing and showed no outward signs of emotion.

Within days of Stanek’s death, authorities had announced that they’d identified a person of interest and the vehicle believed to have been involved.

Through the four-month-long investigation, the sheriff’s major crash investigation unit collected evidence, including the vehicle involved, according to the release.

Stanek’s memorial service was held on what would have been his 25th birthday. In the months since his death, his family has set up a GoFundMe page, Celebrating Austin’s Spirit with a Scholarship, to raise funds in his name. Stanek was a 2018 graduate of Wauconda High School.

In a separate case, a Wood Dale man, Andrew Franklin, had been charged with speeding through the scene of the hit-and-run crash while police where still investigating and nearly hitting an officer with his car. Franklin faces charges of aggravated assault to a police officer, a Class 4 felony, and obstructing a police officer, a Class A misdemeanor, the court records show. He appeared in court last week and has been released pending trial.

Reporter Claire O’Brien contributed.