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Highland Park teen now charged with reckless homicide
Carly Rousso was charged Wednesday with reckless homicide and four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound. | Lake County Sheriff’s DepARTMENT
Updated: September 12, 2012 1:59PM
HIGHLAND PARK – The 18-year-old woman who is accused of driving onto a Highland Park sidewalk on Labor Day, fatally striking a 5-year-old girl and injuring the girl’s mother and her two brothers, now faces more charges in connection to the crash.
Carly Rousso is charged with one count of reckless homicide and four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound, according to a release from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office. Toxicology tests found that she had a commercial cleaning product in her system at the time of the accident.
Rousso surrendered herself Wednesday morning before Judge Raymond Collins, who then set her bond at $500,000.
On Sept. 3, Rousso was driving her car eastbound on Central Avenue in Highland Park when she veered across multiple lanes of traffic and left the roadway, the release said. She drove onto the sidewalk in the 700 block of Central Avenue, where she then struck 5-year-old Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento, her mother and her two brothers. Jaclyn was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she later was pronounced dead from injuries suffered in the crash. Her mother and two brothers were later released from the hospital.
Rousso submitted to blood testing at the hospital. The blood samples were sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab, and the car was thoroughly examined and an accident team reconstructed the events leading to the crash.
State Police Crime Lab toxicology reports indicted that the compound Difluoroethane was detected in Rousso’s blood, the release said. Found in her car was a commercial cleaning product. An analysis of that product found it to be Difluoroethane, as well.
Rousso had previously been released from custody on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond, according to court records. On Tuesday she was back in court, where Associate Judge Joseph Waldeck increased her bond to $50,000 because the city of Highland Park asked for a bond increase and modified bond conditions. Defense attorney Douglas Zeit said in court on Tuesday that Rousso is a student at College of Lake County and that she is attending a treatment program in Lake Bluff four to five nights a week.
Rousso is next expected in court on Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom C-120 in Waukegan.
