Man pleads guilty to hit-and-run death of Port Barrington woman

WAUKEGAN – A 22-year-old Island Lake man pleaded guilty in Lake County Court on Wednesday to several charges in a hit-and-run car accident that killed a Port Barrington woman in September.

Kevin Gillespie, of the 900 block of Wembley Drive, was sentenced to up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an injury accident resulting in death and aggravated driving under the influence, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department sent officers around 2:30 a.m. Sept. 22 to Lamphere Road, just east of Roberts Road, in Island Lake, where Tracy Meger Berry, 46, was found lying in the roadway, according to police reports.

Gillespie had already fled the scene when police arrived, leaving behind pieces of his car bumper, according to the state's attorney's office.

Prosecutors said police found Gillespie after the car pieces matched his car parked at his Island Lake house.

Gillespie, who has no prior Lake County criminal history, never called police but admitted he stopped his car after he realized he had hit someone and left the scene, according to the state's attorney's office.

Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes said he accepted the plea deal for Gillespie because "he accepted responsibility for what he did."

Gillespie must serve at least two years in prison before being eligible for parole, according to the state's attorney's office.