logo
Driver in fatal after-school camp crash had clean toxicology, Illinois State Police say

Driver in fatal after-school camp crash had clean toxicology, Illinois State Police say

Yahoo02-05-2025

Illinois State Police released preliminary toxicology results that showed no drugs or alcohol in the system of a driver who crashed into a central Illinois after-school program, killing four young girls.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said Thursday police are still investigating the cause of the crash but found one possible explanation.
'Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading to the crash,' Kelly said at a Springfield news conference. 'However, the investigation of this information and other evidence has not yet concluded, and we will continue until all leads and research has been exhausted.'
Marianne Akers, 44, of Chatham, was the driver and only occupant of a Jeep that on Monday struck a building that housed the YNOT Camp, which stands for Youth Needing Other Things, an after-school camp in Chatham.
Those killed were Ainsley Johnson, 8; Kathryn Corley, 7; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, all of Chatham, and counselor Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield. All the victims died from blunt force trauma.
Six other children were injured at the scene and hospitalized. Two have since been released.
Akers was not injured in the crash and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Kelly said she provided blood and urine specimens at that time.
He confirmed that toxicology screenings came back negative for all forms of alcohol including ethanol, isopropanol, methanol, and all substances including benzodiazepine, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, cannabinoids, and phencyclidine.
The news release ISP published Tuesday said the incident did 'not appear to be a targeted attack.' During the news conference Thursday, Kelly confirmed that statement.
'If you think about that terminology, a targeted attack, it implies a certain intent or some specific motive, or a link of some type, a nexus between the person, in this case, the driver, and that location,' he said. 'And there's just no evidence of that that would indicate that this was something intended as some type of mass violence or terrorist attack, or something along those natures. There's absolutely nothing to indicate that whatsoever.'
Although he would not confirm how fast Akers' car was traveling at the time of impact, Kelly said her car covered over 1,300 feet 'pre- and post-impact' — information ISP obtained using photography, drones, videos, diagrams and other information when investigating at the scene.
Kelly said ISP released Akers' name a day after the accident because it was 'already out there,' and that confirming her name did not provide any information that hadn't already been publicly confirmed.
'We offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and Chatham community during this difficult time now,' Kelly said before asking reporters gathered at the news conference to observe a moment of silence for the victims and survivors.
Chatham schools were closed through Friday.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger
Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger

Lawyers for imprisoned R&B superstar R. Kelly claim they have uncovered evidence of government wrongdoing and that the Chicago-born singer's life is in danger. Kelly's legal team said in a news release Tuesday they will be filing an emergency motion in Chicago federal court documenting their allegations and seeking Kelly's immediate release from a federal penitentiary in North Carolina, where he's serving a 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct. The motion, the lawyers say, will be 'backed by concrete evidence and declarations that expose a disturbing pattern of government corruption and criminal misconduct' by federal prosecutors in Chicago and New York as well as officials with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The news release claims the officials unjustly manufacture charges against Kelly and are trying to cover it up. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago could not immediately be reached for comment. Kelly's lead attorney, Beau Brindley, and other members of his office plan to hold a news conference outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago this afternoon. Kelly, 58, was convicted in 2022 in Chicago of child pornography for making explicit videos of himself and his then-teenage goddaughter, who testified at trial under the pseudonym Jane. He also was convicted of inappropriate sexual relations with Jane and two other teenage girls, 'Pauline' and 'Nia.' The jury acquitted Kelly and two co-defendants on charges they conspired to retrieve incriminating tapes and rig his 2008 trial by pressuring Jane to lie to investigators about their relationship and refuse to testify against him. Kelly was also found not guilty of filming himself with Jane on a video that jurors never saw. Prosecutors said 'Video 4? was not played because Kelly's team successfully buried it, but defense attorneys questioned whether it existed at all. Brindley represented Kelly's former manager, Derrel McDavid, in that case, but has since been hired by Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly was also convicted in federal court in New York in 2021 of racketeering conspiracy charges alleging his musical career doubled as a criminal enterprise aimed at satisfying his predatory sexual desires. He's serving his time in a medium-security federal prison facility in Butner, North Carolina, and is not eligible for release until the year 2045, records show. Kelly also has a pending lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons alleging a former employee leaked his jail calls and other information to a video blogger. jmeisner@

Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger
Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger

Chicago Tribune

time4 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Lawyers for R. Kelly claim wrongdoing by prosecutors, say imprisoned singer's life in danger

Lawyers for imprisoned R&B superstar R. Kelly claim they have uncovered evidence of government wrongdoing and that the Chicago-born singer's life is in danger. Kelly's legal team said in a news release Tuesday they will be filing an emergency motion in Chicago federal court documenting their allegations and seeking Kelly's immediate release from a federal penitentiary in North Carolina, where he's serving a 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct. The motion, the lawyers say, will be 'backed by concrete evidence and declarations that expose a disturbing pattern of government corruption and criminal misconduct' by federal prosecutors in Chicago and New York as well as officials with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The news release claims the officials unjustly manufacture charges against Kelly and are trying to cover it up. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago could not immediately be reached for comment. Kelly's lead attorney, Beau Brindley, and other members of his office plan to hold a news conference outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago this afternoon. Kelly, 58, was convicted in 2022 in Chicago of child pornography for making explicit videos of himself and his then-teenage goddaughter, who testified at trial under the pseudonym Jane. He also was convicted of inappropriate sexual relations with Jane and two other teenage girls, 'Pauline' and 'Nia.' The jury acquitted Kelly and two co-defendants on charges they conspired to retrieve incriminating tapes and rig his 2008 trial by pressuring Jane to lie to investigators about their relationship and refuse to testify against him. Kelly was also found not guilty of filming himself with Jane on a video that jurors never saw. Prosecutors said 'Video 4? was not played because Kelly's team successfully buried it, but defense attorneys questioned whether it existed at all. Brindley represented Kelly's former manager, Derrel McDavid, in that case, but has since been hired by Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly was also convicted in federal court in New York in 2021 of racketeering conspiracy charges alleging his musical career doubled as a criminal enterprise aimed at satisfying his predatory sexual desires. He's serving his time in a medium-security federal prison facility in Butner, North Carolina, and is not eligible for release until the year 2045, records show. Kelly also has a pending lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons alleging a former employee leaked his jail calls and other information to a video blogger.

Illinois bill would allow traffic cameras to investigate human trafficking
Illinois bill would allow traffic cameras to investigate human trafficking

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Illinois bill would allow traffic cameras to investigate human trafficking

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- Traffic cameras could be used to investigate human trafficking in Illinois, according to a bill passed this year. House Bill 3339 would allow state police to use 'automatic license plate readers' in cases involving human trafficking. State Police can run license plate numbers through several law enforcement databases and alert officers if there is a match. The bill expands a law that allows police to use cameras to investigate other crimes across the state. Over $85,000 in unpaid construction wages recovered in Saline County Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in a committee hearing on the bill, 'It's very focused on specific types of crime. It's not for speeding, it's not for traffic enforcement, this is for serious offenses, and we use it in a limited and focused way and in a highly effective way.' The bill would also require ISP to delete images obtained from the cameras from the ISP databases within 120 days, with exceptions to images used for ongoing investigations or criminal trials. It also bars images obtained through automatic license plate readers from being accessible through the Freedom of Information Act. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store