A Winchester woman has been indicted by a grand jury on charges related to a crash that killed a toddler in Scott County in May.
27 year old Makayla D. Brown was indicted on Tuesday for aggravated usage of a communication device in the operation of a motor vehicle resulting in injury or death, a Class 4 felony.
Brown was the driver of a 2022 Jeep Compass on May 5th traveling southbound on Sand Road just south of Bloomfield Road in rural Scott County at approximately 2:50PM, according to an Illinois State Police crash report at the time.
ISP says for an unknown reason the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Brown and a 2 year old male passenger were both transported to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital with major injuries. The toddler later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the Morgan County Coroner’s Office at approximately 4PM on May 5th.
Brown was later charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage in Scott County Court. According to court records, Brown’s case was dismissed by the Scott County State’s Attorney’s Office with leave to re-file charges at a later date.
With the new charges, Brown faces up to a $1,000 fine plus up to 1 to 3 years in prison if found guilty. The charge is a probationable offense.
Brown is next due in Scott County Court on November 7th.