ST. LOUIS — Nearly six months after a Jerseyville teen was killed in a rollover crash in Wood River, Illinois, prosecutors have now issued charges against a 44-year-old St. Louis man.
Dustin Gilliland, of St. Louis, was charged with aggravated DUI and reckless homicide Friday in connection to the June 24 crash that left 18-year-old Gregory Kuehnel Jr. dead.
Officers and firefighters responded at around 11:30 p.m. to the crash at the intersection of Illinois Route 3 and Illinois Route 143. First responders found Kuehnel, of Jerseyville, and three people injured inside a 2023 Dodge Charger and a lone driver, later identified as Gilliland, in a 2021 Ford Bronco.
Kuehnel, who was a passenger in the Charger, was airlifted along with another passenger to a St. Louis hospital, where the 18-year-old later died. The drivers of the Charger and the Bronco were taken by ambulance.
“Impaired driving puts everyone on the road at risk,” Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said. “I cannot begin to imagine the loss experienced by the family and loved ones of this young man.”
According to officials, Gilliland's license was suspended in Missouri at the time of the crash.
"The Police Department offers condolences to the Kuehnel family for the loss of their loved one," the Wood River police department department said.
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