Crystal Lake woman pleads guilty to drunken driving after hitting child on bike in summer 2021

A 77-year-old Crystal Lake woman was sentenced to 10 days in the county jail and 30 months of felony probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to drunken driving when she struck a 9-year-old child in August 2021, court records show.

Janice M. Easty, of the 400 block of Oxford Lane, entered a negotiated guilty plea to one count of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class 4 felony. In exchange for her plea, two additional counts of the same charge were dismissed, McHenry County court records show.

Easty surrendered her driver’s license in open court and is set to turn herself in Thursday at the county jail, Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Romito said.

The girl and her parents were present in court and read impact statements detailing the trauma of the crash and her long and painful recovery, Romito said.

Easty was accused of being under the influence of alcohol when she drove her Toyota Avalon, which was uninsured, out of a parking lot, onto a sidewalk and on to the roadway, striking the child who was riding a bike on the sidewalk, according to court documents and what Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Derek Hyrkas said at the time of her arrest.

She was driving north on Country Club Road, north of Golf Road, when the crash occurred, according to court documents.

The child suffered “severe internal injuries” as a result of the crash, according to a Crystal Lake Police Department criminal complaint.

“This is a 77-year-old lady with no prior traffic or criminal history,” her attorney Jeffrey Altman said after court.

He said she drank alcohol and was on prescription medicine that she should not have taken, resulting in the crash.

She had a blood alcohol content of 0.11, higher than the legal limit of 0.08. That, in conjunction with her prescriptions, “unfortunately enhanced the effect,” he said, adding she has since completed substance abuse evaluation and all recommended counseling.

Easty also is required to pay $4,684 in court fees and fines, according to court documents.