On a later October morning in 2021, Aurora’s Daniel Mayen got being the wheel of his car after some heavy drinking. His blood-alcohol concentration was measured at .257, over three times the legal limit. The resulting head-on collision caused by Mayen’s erratic driving put his passenger in the hospital with serious injuries, and him in jail.
Mayen now faces seven years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Katy Flannagan stated in court that on October 24, 2021, at about 10:40 a.m., Mayen, 29, was driving a vehicle on Mitchell Road in Aurora when he crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and struck a car head-on. The passenger in his vehicle was hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of the crash.
On October 20, 2022, Mayen pled guilty to the offense of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, Class 4 felony.
Mayen was on probation at the time of the crash, having pled guilty in March 2021 to the offense of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Judge Elizabeth K. Flood resentenced Mayen in that case to seven years in prison. The sentence is seven years on each offense, to be served concurrently.
In accordance with Illinois law, Mayen must serve at least 85 percent of the DUI sentence. He is eligible for day-for-day credit on the drug sentence. He receives credit for one day served in the Kane County jail.
“This case is a painful reminder that drunken driving happens at any time of any day and that it can have extremely serious consequences,” said ASA Flannagan. “His choice to drink and drive had permanent consequences for his passenger, the victim in this case. My thanks to the victim in this case for her courage at such a young age to face the man who permanently altered her life.”
