A 28-year-old Montgomery man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he fled from police and subsequently crashed his vehicle into a tree, killing a passenger in the process.
Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that Saul Muro, Jr., of Montgomery was sentenced to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offenses of Reckless Homicide; Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident; and Possession of a Controlled Substance, in an agreed plea earlier this week.
According to prosecutors, the case started after a routine traffic stop by the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. When the Deputy walked up to Muro’s vehicle, it took off at a high rate of speed.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office were able to find the vehicle a short time later. Unfortunately, the vehicle hit a tree and the front seat passenger suffered catastrophic injuries because of the crash. While medical personnel attempted lifesaving measures, the passenger later succumbed to his injuries while at the medical facility.
Muro, who fled the scene, was later arrested based on recent injuries he had sustained and having matched the description of eyewitness. It was later learned that Muro was on parole at the time he fled from police and was in possession of a controlled substance.
“In the past few years we have seen an increase in the number of individuals who flee from officers during traffic stops,” Weis commented. “Certain people think that fleeing from the police is a non-violent crime. However, they fail to realize that when this occurs, you not only put yourself in danger, but you put your passengers and the public at great risk. Hopefully this sentence will deter others from making the same decision in the future.”
