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Dec 4, 2008 2:45 pm US/Central
Accused Driver Delays Plea In Fatal Crash
MORRIS, Ill. (STNG) ―
A woman who is accused of driving drunk and killing a Dwight family was expected to come to court Thursday with her own lawyer, but instead she asked for a public defender.
Ann Marie Getz, 43, of Ransom, went before Judge Robert Marsaglia after receiving a continuance last month to obtain her own lawyer.
"I have to go with a public defender," Getz said in court.
Amanda Jahn and her two children, 11-month-old Kaitlyn and 3-year-old Ryan, were killed Nov. 6 while on their way home to Dwight.
The family was going south on Illinois 47 when another vehicle blew a stop sign at Gardner Blacktop in unincorporated Mazon, and crashed into them. The crash caused the Jahn vehicle to roll several times into a field.
Amanda died on scene and the children were ejected from the car. They were taken to Morris Hospital where they were pronounced dead. Getz was under police guard at the hospital until she was brought to jail last month.
In court Thursday Getz's only remaining visible injury was a cast around her left hand. A friend of Getz and Getz's fiancé were also in the courtroom.
Getz was indicted by the grand jury Wednesday of eight counts of aggravated driving under the influence, a Class 2 felony. The first four counts are the same as the original complaint, said Ron Ellis, Grundy County state's attorney assistant. The original counts are for aggravated driving under the influence.
The additional four charges are aggravated driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of more than the legal limit of .08 percent.
If convicted of more than one count Getz could get up to 28 years in prison.
The judge assigned Public Defender JD Flood. Flood was out sick Thursday, Marsaglia said and continued her case until 10 a.m. Dec. 11.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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