Man Convicted In 1999 Fatal Crash Gets Prison For DUI

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A McHenry man convicted in 1999 of causing a fatal collision was sentenced this past week to 30 months in prison for driving drunk last year in Spring Grove.

Mark Jensen, 48, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated driving under the influence, a Class 3 felony, in connection with his Feb. 12, 2021, arrest, prosecutors said. On that date, the Spring Grove Police Department received reports of a truck spotted driving erratically in the village.

Authorities pulled the truck over and identified Jensen as the driver, according to a news release from the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office. Authorities say a test of Jensen's blood and urine reveled he'd consumed alcohol, cocaine and ketamine before getting behind the wheel.

Jensen, who was 24 years old at the time, was convicted of reckless homicide in 1999 after he was involved in a fatal car crash in Lake County while under the influence. The collision happened at the intersection of Illinois Highway 137 and U.S. Highway 41 when Jensen ran a red light and collided with a car driven by Deroi Raines, 32, of North Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported in 1999.

Raines was killed "on impact" when Jensen's vehicle crashed into the passenger side of his car. His blood alcohol concentration registered as .12 when taken three hours after the collision at the police department, according to the article.

At his sentencing, a Lake County judge ordered him to serve four years of probation and 30 months of periodic imprisonment, according to online court records.