Bond set at $5 million in fatal crash
URBANA – Champaign County Judge Michael Jones set bond at $5 million Saturday morning for a woman charged in a three-vehicle accident that killed one person and injured three others.
Elizabeth Drewes, 53, of the 1000 block of Churchill Downs Drive, Champaign, was arrested Friday on preliminary charges of aggravated driving under the influence. She was booked into the Champaign County Jail late Friday afternoon.
State police said the accident happened about 1 p.m. Friday after Drewes drove her Cadillac Escalade onto Interstate 74 at Lincoln Avenue in Urbana, driving westbound in the eastbound lanes.
Her vehicle hit a minivan head-on, killing 24-year-old Brittany Babb and seriously injuring Miss Babb's fiance, Zachary Acton. Acton was listed in serious condition Saturday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.
A driver and passenger in a third vehicle that also hit Acton's vehicle were treated for their injuries and released.
Drewes declined medical treatment but was taken to the hospital. Prosecutors said she was combative with officers.
They also noted that Drewes showed signs of impairment, such as bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. She refused to submit to a chemical test, but involuntary blood and urine samples were taken at the hospital and are still pending.
Drewes has a pending driving under the influence charge from a Sept. 30 arrest on I-57 near Thomasboro. She was scheduled to appear in court on that charge Tuesday.
In requesting a high bond, prosecutors said Drewes was a risk to the community and that they understood she was financially well-off.
She will be arraigned on Friday's charges Monday afternoon.








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