A St. Clair County man has pleaded guilty to an accident that claimed the life of a Greene County man earlier this year.
According to an announcement this morning by Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison, 52-year-old Scott L. Kraut of Belleville, Illinois pleaded guilty to one count of Class 2 felony driving under the influence causing death.
Illinois State Police reports at the time said that at approximately 12:30 p.m. on April 5th of this year, Kraut was driving a white Dodge Ram pickup truck on Illinois Route 267 near FS Road in Medora when the truck crossed the center line and struck a vehicle occupied by 52-year-old Craig R. Gillmore of Roodhouse.
Gillmore was airlifted to an area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Kraut was also transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Lab testing during the subsequent investigation found that Kraut had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the crash. He was arrested in late April and charged with two counts of Class 2 felony DUI causing death, and cited for improper lane usage. Kraut initially pleaded not guilty in May of this year and had remained held at the Macoupin County Jail during court proceedings.
Macoupin County Associate Judge Joshua Meyer accepted Kraut’s guilty plea to the single count this week and scheduled His sentencing for January 29th. Kraut faces up to 14 years in prison, with 85% of the time to be served.