Man Gets 17 Years In Prison In DUI Crash That Killed 2 Lake Co. Women

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A Lake County judge has sentenced a Round Lake Beach man to prison in connection with a DUI crash that claimed the lives of two Lake County woman in 2019.

Lake County Judge George Strickland ordered Victor Ortiz, 54, to serve 17 years in prison during a sentencing hearing Tuesday. In August, a jury found Ortiz guilty on two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, a class 2 felony, and two counts of aggravated driving with a blood concentration of over .08, a class 2 felony.

During the trial, medical expert witnesses testified that Ortiz's blood alcohol concentration was nearly three times more than the legal limit of .08 at the time of the fatal collision on June 8, 2019. Authorities say Ortiz was driving south on Fairfield Road just north of Route 60 in Fremont Township when his van crossed the center line, side-swiped a Honda Odyssey and then collided head-on with a Kia.

Two passenger in the Kia, Barbara Gaulke of Ingleside and Sandra Forscht of Round Lake Beach, were pronounced dead at scene.

During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, prosecutors shared a victim impact statement from a relative of one of the victims.

The statement expressed the overwhelming sadness the victim’s family has felt since the tragic accident. The family described a “a hole in their hearts that will never be filled.” Additional victim impact statements were submitted in writing, describing the impact of this crime on other family member’s lives, according to a news release form the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

“We hope that the jury’s verdict and the court’s sentence has brought some measure of justice to the family after this 2019 tragedy that claimed two lives," said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart following Tuesday's sentencing.

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