Woman charged in Marengo crash that killed two pleads not guilty

A 27-year-old Georgia woman pleaded not guilty Friday to several felonies alleging that she was under the influence of cocaine last year when she drove a vehicle at 104 mph and caused a crash in Marengo that killed two people.

Miranda A. Johnson, of the 8000 block of Estee Drive in Cumming, Georgia, remained in the McHenry County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

She was charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence, two counts of reckless homicide, four counts of aggravated driving under the influence, two counts of aggravated reckless driving, driving more than 35 mph above the speed limit, disregarding a traffic control device and operating an uninsured vehicle, according to the indictment filed in the McHenry County courthouse.

Each of the aggravated DUI charges are Class 2 felonies, which each carry between three and seven years in prison. That means if Johnson is convicted of those charges, she faces up to 28 years in prison unless the court finds “extraordinary circumstances” that require a sentence of probation, Judge James Cowlin said during arraignment.

Johnson also could be required to pay up to $25,000 in fines and serve two years of mandatory supervised release.

The crash, which resulted in the deaths of Julie Greif, 51, of Marengo, and Carlos Valencia, 34, of Elgin, occurred about 5 p.m. Sept. 29, 2021.

The charges allege that Johnson had cocaine in her system at the time she drove a 2012 Honda Civic west near the intersection of West Coral Road and Route 23, blew a stop light and crashed into the vehicle driven by Greif. Greif was driving about 35 mph north on Route 23.

Johnson caused “catastrophic damage” to both vehicles, according to court documents.

The crash also resulted in the death of Valencia, a passenger in the vehicle Johnson was driving, according to court documents.

Prosecutors also allege in a motion filed last month that sought to see her bond increased from $50,000 that Johnson’s urine tested positive for cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana.

Charges were filed in the McHenry County Circuit Clerk’s Office in late August. The yearlong delay in charging Johnson, requiring that she be transported from Georgia back to McHenry County, was due to the time it took for toxicology results to be obtained, officials said.

Greif was described on an online fundraising page as a “warm, kindhearted and caring person whose smile would light up any room.”

Johnson is due back in court Nov. 18.