Man who caused DUI crash that killed two in Mokena sentenced to 13 years

March 31

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced today that a Palos Heights man responsible for a DUI collision that caused the death of two other men has been sentenced to 13

years in prison.

Scott A. Rossow, 27, was found guilty by Associate Judge Edward Burmila of four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol at the conclusion of an eight-day bench trial that ended on Nov. 29.

Rossow was driving a Corvette in excess of 100 mph near the intersection of Francis and Town Line Roads in Mokena in the early-morning hours of Dec. 8, 2006 when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. The defendant and his two passengers, Christopher Sommers and David Sauseda, were all ejected from the vehicle. Sommers was a friend; Sauseda was a family member.

Rossow’s blood-alcohol level was .127. His defense attorney argued at trial that he was not driving the car.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, working with the Mokena Police Department and the Will County Sheriff’s Department, charged the case in 2008 after conducting thorough reviews of accident reconstruction reports that were completed during the lengthy investigation.

State’s Attorney Glasgow thanked police investigators and his two prosecutors, Christopher Koch and Tricia McKenna, for their work in securing this conviction and prison sentence.

“This was a horrific and senseless collision caused by a drunken driver whose irresponsible actions resulted in the deaths of two men,” State’s Attorney Glasgow said. “The investigation and prosecution of this case was complicated by the fact that everyone, including the defendant, was ejected from the vehicle. However, fine work by police in the field and by my prosecutors in the courtroom left no doubt that Scott Rossow was the driver in this high-speed DUI crash.”During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Koch presented testimony to Judge Burmila that Rossow had been arrested and charged with narcotics trafficking in Kentucky in October 2010, while he was awaiting trial in this aggravated DUI case.