Wisconsin woman charged with DUI in fatal crash outside McHenry

Three months after a McHenry crash that killed an Elmhurst woman, a Wisconsin resident has been charged with driving under the influence of marijuana and prescription drugs, court records show.

Alyssa Popp, 31, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, was charged Thursday with aggravated driving under the influence of drugs where a death resulted, a class 2 felony, as well as driving under the influence of drugs and improper lane use.

The crash that killed Christina Smith, 56, of Elmhurst, took place about 10:20 a.m. Aug. 7 in the 4300 block of Route 31 between Ringwood and McHenry.

An investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office indicated that Popp was northbound on Route 31, driving a 2021 GMC Acadia, while Smith was southbound driving a 2015 Acura TLX, according to a news release Monday.

Popp’s vehicle crossed the center line of the roadway and collided head-on with the Acura TLX, according to the release.

The crash was “certainly a tragic accident,” Popp’s attorney, Phil Prossnitz, said Monday. He added it was too early at this point to know whether it was more than “a very, very sad, tragic accident” as he had yet to see any of the investigatory materials.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release. The driver of the GMC Acadia, now identified as Popp, was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville from Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with serious injuries, according to a release from the time of the crash.

Popp’s bond had been set at $150,000, according to the sheriff’s office. She had been released from custody on Saturday, according to the jail log.