Street Racer's Sentence In Fatality Should Be Lowered: Tomczak

JOLIET, IL - In April, Jeffrey Bledsoe appeared in Will County Judge Daniel Kennedy's courtroom, pleading guilty to aggravated street racing. That night in December 2015, a 16-year-old Aurora boy who Bledsoe was racing collided with another motorist on Eola Road. Charles Siebel, 49, died from his injuries and the victim's 15-year-old daughter was injured. Fast forward to this week. Bledsoe's criminal defense attorney, Jeff Tomczak of The Tomczak Law Group, has filed a motion at the Will County Courthouse asking Kennedy to reconsider the prison sentence he imposed upon the young man from Plainfield.

On April 23, Judge Kennedy sentenced Bledsoe, now 22, to two-and-a-half years at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"The court failed to consider any factors in mitigation ... and did in fact, improperly consider as an aggravating factor 'that the defendant's conduct or threatened serious harm' resulting in a double enhancement," Tomczak's motion states. "The sentence imposed is not in keeping with the Defendant's past history or criminality, mental history, family situation, economic status or occupational or personal habits."

Here were some of the court transcripts from the April 23 sentencing in Courtroom 400, comments made by Judge Kennedy:

"We have a death here. Also, the circumstances surrounding the offense was speeding close to 119 miles an hour through a residential neighborhood, which definitely threatened serious harm to others. We also have another passenger in the car. It was a foggy night.

"I also find, even though they are petty offenses, that he has a history of excessive driving, even though they were not aggravated driving," Kennedy continued. "I also find the sentence is necessary to deter others from committing the same crime. I know there has been a lot of drag racing cases in this county in the past thirty some years .. in the criminal justice system here."

Tomczak did not expect the judge to impose a prison term for his client.

"Judge, were there any findings in mitigation?" Tomczak asked on April 23.

RELATED: Second Street Racer Charged In Will County Fatality

"I found this case to be very, very hard," Kennedy responded. "I also find that he didn't have much of a criminal history. In fact, he didn't have any prior misdemeanors or felonies in this matter. I also found in mitigation he has a work history ... His character and attitude indicated that he is unlikely to commit another crime ... but then again, as I stated before, I thought probation would depreciate the seriousness of this offense."

Mugshot via Will County Sheriff's Department