Plea Deal Taken in DUI Crash That Killed WWS Senior

A 32-year-old Warrenville man has pleaded guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol involving death in the Apr. 25 crash that killed 18-year-old Stephanie Pickett, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced Friday 

Karlos Leath, of Country Ridge Drive in Warrenville, took a plea deal in exchange for a maximum sentence of eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

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Pickett, a Wheaton Warrenville South senior, died of massive head injuries after the accident near Mack and Schaffner roads in Winfield about 10:32 p.m. Apr. 25. 

Officials said Leath and Pickett were traveling southbound on Schaffner Road when Leath lost control of the car as he approached Mack, swerved off the road and crashed his vehicle into trees on the north side of Mack Road. 

Leath was charged the following day, and remained held at the DuPage County Jail on $1 million bail. An investigation into the crash revealed that Leath’s blood alcohol content was above the legal limit of 0.08 at the time of the crash, according to the release.

“Once again we see the tragic cost of drinking and driving,” Berlin said in a statement. “A young woman is dead and Karlos Leath will spend a significant amount of time behind bars simply because he thought he was alright to drive. 

"People have to learn that if you have been drinking, you are not alright to drive. I offer my sincerest condolences to Stephanie Pickett’s family and friends as they grieve their loss. I would like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Jim Scaliatine and Deborah Brewer for their work on this heart-breaking case.”

Leath is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Dec. 12 in front of Judge Blanche Hill-Fawell.