Lisle Man Ordered Held Without Bail in Fatal Fox River Boat Crash That Killed Woman
A McHenry County judge on Monday ordered a Lisle man held without bail after prosecutors said he was drunk and driving a boat at more than 80 miles per hour when it crashed into another boat on the Fox River, killing a woman.
Richard M. Stevenson, 45, faces one count of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence in connection with the Saturday afternoon crash near the 2400 block of Riverside Drive West in McHenry. Judge Cynthia Lamb ordered him detained at the McHenry County Jail, rejecting arguments for pretrial release under the state's SAFE-T Act.
"GPS will not make the community safe from this defendant," Lamb said before issuing her ruling, according to court proceedings.
Prosecutors laid out a timeline of Stevenson's afternoon that they said began with him picking up a bucket of Fireball whisky bottles and drinking them while operating a high-powered pontoon boat fitted with three outboard motors. Witnesses told investigators he later stopped at a bar for two more shots before continuing down the river. Prosecutors described his run down the Fox River as an alcohol-fueled trip at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour, calling him a "ticking time bomb that went off last Saturday."
The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. near South Fernwood Lane, when Stevenson's pontoon struck another boat that was docked, according to prosecutors. They said the pontoon rode up and over the other vessel, striking a woman on board and severing her head. She has not been publicly identified. NBC Chicago described her as middle-aged.
After the crash, Stevenson allegedly told another witness he had been drinking and that his life was over. He stayed at the scene and was taken to a hospital, where prosecutors say he refused blood and urine tests. He was arrested overnight and formally charged Monday.
Court records show Stevenson has a criminal history stretching back more than two decades, including two prior DUI convictions, three reckless driving convictions, three convictions for fleeing and eluding police, and four misdemeanor speeding convictions.
The crash also hurt two other people, who were taken to a hospital, according to the McHenry Township Fire Protection District. Fire officials said bystanders told emergency crews that two additional people from one of the boats left the scene before first responders arrived. A neighbor who declined to be identified told a reporter he heard the crash and later saw a man and woman leaving the area on foot. It is not clear whether those individuals have since been located or how they factor into the criminal case against Stevenson.
State Sen. Craig Wilcox, whose district includes McHenry County, posted on social media Saturday night urging residents along the river to watch for anyone who might be an injured boater.