A La Salle County coroner jury ruled Thursday that a La Salle woman's traffic death last year near Starved Rock State Park was caused by recklessness.
Doreen Ceretto, 37, died July 20, 2003, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru after a two-vehicle crash on Illinois 71 one mile west of Illinois 178 and 71.
Ceretto had been a passenger that day in a Ford Probe driven by 27-year-old David A. Arzola, an ex-convict from La Salle. Arzola's car collided with a sport utility vehicle driven by Robert Yuhas of Ottawa. Yuhas told the sheriff's office that he saw Arzola's car coming toward him and veering into Yuhas lane. In hopes of preventing a collision, Yuhas pulled onto the shoulder, but Arzola's car still struck Yuhas head-on, spinning Yuhas' vehicle 180 degrees, said sheriff's investigator William Crouch.
Yuhas and a child in his vehicle were not hurt. Ceretto died almost an hour later. Arzola was seriously hurt, but survived. Ceretto had no alcohol in her system, but did have marijuana and morphine, said Coroner Jody Bernard. Blood tests done on Arzola showed no alcohol in his system, but did show heroin, marijuana, opiates and barbiturates, said Crouch. He was intoxicated, Crouch noted.
Charges of reckless homicide were not filed against Arzola until July 27, 2004, because authorities had to wait for laboratory tests to be completed. Arzola remains in the county jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bond. His next court hearing is set for Oct. 14. If convicted, he could be fined, given probation or sentenced to as long as seven years in prison on each of the three counts he is facing.
Arzola was convicted of drunken driving in 1999 and has been issued 21 traffic tickets since 1991 in La Salle County. He also has felony convictions for possession of more than 500 grams of marijuana in 2000 and for possession of a controlled substance in 2001, as well as four misdemeanor convictions. Times Paper Ottawa IL.Sep 27, 2004.
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Doreen Ceretto, 37, died July 20, 2003, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru after a two-vehicle crash on Illinois 71 one mile west of Illinois 178 and 71.
Ceretto had been a passenger that day in a Ford Probe driven by 27-year-old David A. Arzola, an ex-convict from La Salle. Arzola's car collided with a sport utility vehicle driven by Robert Yuhas of Ottawa. Yuhas told the sheriff's office that he saw Arzola's car coming toward him and veering into Yuhas lane. In hopes of preventing a collision, Yuhas pulled onto the shoulder, but Arzola's car still struck Yuhas head-on, spinning Yuhas' vehicle 180 degrees, said sheriff's investigator William Crouch.
Yuhas and a child in his vehicle were not hurt. Ceretto died almost an hour later. Arzola was seriously hurt, but survived. Ceretto had no alcohol in her system, but did have marijuana and morphine, said Coroner Jody Bernard. Blood tests done on Arzola showed no alcohol in his system, but did show heroin, marijuana, opiates and barbiturates, said Crouch. He was intoxicated, Crouch noted.
Charges of reckless homicide were not filed against Arzola until July 27, 2004, because authorities had to wait for laboratory tests to be completed. Arzola remains in the county jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bond. His next court hearing is set for Oct. 14. If convicted, he could be fined, given probation or sentenced to as long as seven years in prison on each of the three counts he is facing.
Arzola was convicted of drunken driving in 1999 and has been issued 21 traffic tickets since 1991 in La Salle County. He also has felony convictions for possession of more than 500 grams of marijuana in 2000 and for possession of a controlled substance in 2001, as well as four misdemeanor convictions. Times Paper Ottawa IL.Sep 27, 2004.
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A La Salle County coroner jury ruled Thursday that a La Salle woman's traffic death last year near Starved Rock State Park was caused by recklessness.
Doreen Ceretto, 37, died July 20, 2003, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru after a two-vehicle crash on Illinois 71 one mile west of Illinois 178 and 71.
Ceretto had been a passenger that day in a Ford Probe driven by 27-year-old David A. Arzola, an ex-convict from La Salle. Arzola's car collided with a sport utility vehicle driven by Robert Yuhas of Ottawa. Yuhas told the sheriff's office that he saw Arzola's car coming toward him and veering into Yuhas lane. In hopes of preventing a collision, Yuhas pulled onto the shoulder, but Arzola's car still struck Yuhas head-on, spinning Yuhas' vehicle 180 degrees, said sheriff's investigator William Crouch.
Yuhas and a child in his vehicle were not hurt. Ceretto died almost an hour later. Arzola was seriously hurt, but survived. Ceretto had no alcohol in her system, but did have marijuana and morphine, said Coroner Jody Bernard. Blood tests done on Arzola showed no alcohol in his system, but did show heroin, marijuana, opiates and barbiturates, said Crouch. He was intoxicated, Crouch noted.
Charges of reckless homicide were not filed against Arzola until July 27, 2004, because authorities had to wait for laboratory tests to be completed. Arzola remains in the county jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bond. His next court hearing is set for Oct. 14. If convicted, he could be fined, given probation or sentenced to as long as seven years in prison on each of the three counts he is facing.
Arzola was convicted of drunken driving in 1999 and has been issued 21 traffic tickets since 1991 in La Salle County. He also has felony convictions for possession of more than 500 grams of marijuana in 2000 and for possession of a controlled substance in 2001, as well as four misdemeanor convictions. Times Paper Ottawa IL.Sep 27, 2004.
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Doreen Ceretto, 37, died July 20, 2003, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru after a two-vehicle crash on Illinois 71 one mile west of Illinois 178 and 71.
Ceretto had been a passenger that day in a Ford Probe driven by 27-year-old David A. Arzola, an ex-convict from La Salle. Arzola's car collided with a sport utility vehicle driven by Robert Yuhas of Ottawa. Yuhas told the sheriff's office that he saw Arzola's car coming toward him and veering into Yuhas lane. In hopes of preventing a collision, Yuhas pulled onto the shoulder, but Arzola's car still struck Yuhas head-on, spinning Yuhas' vehicle 180 degrees, said sheriff's investigator William Crouch.
Yuhas and a child in his vehicle were not hurt. Ceretto died almost an hour later. Arzola was seriously hurt, but survived. Ceretto had no alcohol in her system, but did have marijuana and morphine, said Coroner Jody Bernard. Blood tests done on Arzola showed no alcohol in his system, but did show heroin, marijuana, opiates and barbiturates, said Crouch. He was intoxicated, Crouch noted.
Charges of reckless homicide were not filed against Arzola until July 27, 2004, because authorities had to wait for laboratory tests to be completed. Arzola remains in the county jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bond. His next court hearing is set for Oct. 14. If convicted, he could be fined, given probation or sentenced to as long as seven years in prison on each of the three counts he is facing.
Arzola was convicted of drunken driving in 1999 and has been issued 21 traffic tickets since 1991 in La Salle County. He also has felony convictions for possession of more than 500 grams of marijuana in 2000 and for possession of a controlled substance in 2001, as well as four misdemeanor convictions. Times Paper Ottawa IL.Sep 27, 2004.
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