From the State’s Attorney:

McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on February 13, 2026, Jakub A Kakietek, 42, of Lakewood, Illinois, was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence.

Kakietek was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Mark Gerhardt after entering a negotiated plea of guilty.

On July 13, 2024, Kakietek was the driver of a black Volkswagen sedan that was driving northbound on Pyott Road in Lake in the Hills.

Witnesses observed Kakietek’s vehicle swerving on the roadway before driving onto the shoulder of the roadway and swerving back into his lane.

He ultimately lost control of the vehicle, causing it to run perpendicular into oncoming traffic.

Another vehicle traveling southbound on Pyott collided with Kakietek’s vehicle on the passenger side.

Due to injuries sustained from the collision, a passenger in Kakietek’s vehicle tragically lost his life.

An autopsy confirmed that the cause of the victim’s death was blunt trauma of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen due to a motor vehicle crash.

Kakietek was transported to the hospital where his blood was collected.

Subsequent testing at the Illinois State Police lab determined that Kakietek’s had cocaine in his system and a blood alcohol concentration .116 g/dL.

Aggravated Driving Under the Influence resulting in a death carries with it the potential penalty of three to fourteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Kakietek and was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Truth-in-Sentencing will require that Kakietek serve a minimum of 85% of his prison sentence prior to being released. Upon release, Kakietek will be placed on Mandatory Supervised Release for two years.

“This is yet another tragic example where the results of drunk driving shatters families, futures, and lives. This man’s reckless decision to drink and drive took another’s life and created a lifetime of consequences for victims, loved ones, and himself,” State’s Attorney Freese commented.

SA Freese commends the Lake in the Hills Police Department, specifically Detective Andrew Gazda and Officer Ryan Halford, for their thorough investigation, and the responding members of the Lake in the Hills/Algonquin Fire and Rescue for their efforts on scene.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Maria Marek.