The Adams County State’s Attorney’s office will not file an appeal of last month’s Fourth District Appellate Court’s ruling that upheld a decision to dismiss a charge of aggravated driving under the influence against a Quincy woman.
A status hearing on 36 year old Natasha L. McBride’s case was held Tuesday morning in Adams County Court before Judge Robert Adrian. McBride is accused of 4 counts of first-degree murder, reckless homicide, driving on a revoked license, and leaving the scene of a personal injury traffic crash in an Aug. 14, 2020, crash that killed 54 year old Jennifer Hendricks of Rushville and her 3 grandsons. McBride is alleged to ran a traffic light at 4th Street and Broadway in Quincy while speeding and ran into Hendricks’ vehicle. McBride then is alleged to have tried to escape the scene on foot by running onto a nearby bridge where she was apprehended by police.
On January 11th of last year, the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office filed an aggravated DUI charge alleging McBride operated her vehicle “while under the influence of THC.” Public Defender Todd Nelson moved on March 15 to dismiss the 17th count on speedy-trial grounds, and then-Circuit Judge Amy Lannerd granted the motion at an April 1st hearing. The State’s Attorney’s Office issued an appeal to that ruling and the 4th District Appellate Court upheld Lannerd’s ruling in early December. According to Muddy River News, Adams County Prosecutor Todd Jones said Tuesday in court that the state’s attorney’s office won’t pursue appealing the ruling any further.
Judge Adrian set a status hearing on the case for January 17th. McBride remains in the Adams County Jail on $5 million bond.