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Raymundo Zamarripa

Online Staff Report

Raymundo Zamarripa, 23, pled guilty Dec. 12 to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol involving death of two individuals, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing great bodily harm, failure to stop after leaving the scene of an accident involving death and possession of a controlled substance.

At approximately 3:38 a.m., May 29, 2011, Rockford police were dispatched to a traffic crash at Corbin and Loomis streets in Rockford. Two vehicles were located on the northwest corner of that intersection — a black Chevy Tahoe with heavy front-end damage and a blue Chevy Impala with heavy passenger-side damage.

The driver of the Chevy Tahoe, Zamarripa, was stopped by police officers leaving the scene of the crash, and the police returned him to the scene. The Chevy Impala had three occupants. The driver, Candy Hopper, was transported to the hospital for medical treatment and had a broken wrist, which she suffered in the crash. The two passengers in the Impala, Jesus Garcia and Jenny Fritz, died as a result of the injuries they received in the crash.

Zamarripa had the very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He submitted to a standardized field sobriety test and showed indicators of impairment. Zamarripa admitted he had been driving the Tahoe at the time of the crash and that he had consumed three or four beers while driving. Testing done at the hospital pursuant to his medical treatment revealed a blood alcohol content of .193, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08, as well as the presence of cocaine and THC metabolite in his system.

Crash reconstruction revealed Zamarripa’s minimum speed was in excess of 53 mph at the time of the crash. The speed limit at that location of the crash is 30 mph.

In Zamarripa’s pocket, officers located a folded-up $20 bill with white residue on it and also a white powdery substance in a plastic bag that field tested positive for the probable presence of cocaine and had a gross weight of .3 grams.

Aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol involving death is a class 2 felony that may result in probation only when the judge makes a finding that extraordinary circumstances exist requiring probation. Otherwise, the offense may result in a sentence to the Illinois Department of Correction of six to 28 years, of which the offender must serve 85 percent.

Aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing great bodily harm is a class 4 felony with a sentencing range of one to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections or probation.

Failure to stop after leaving the scene of an accident involving death is class 4 felony with a sentencing range of one to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections or probation (any prison sentence would be served consecutive with the DUI sentencing).

Possession of a controlled substance is a class 4 felony with a sentencing range of one to three years in the Illinois Department Corrections or probation.

Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Feb. 15, in courtroom 315.

Posted Dec. 14, 2012