DeKalb man pleads not guilty to DUI in fatal crash

SYCAMORE – A DeKalb man pleaded not guilty Thursday in DeKalb County Court to driving under the influence charges in connection with a May 15 crash that killed a Northern Illinois University master's student.

Daniel J. Chavez, 25, of the 800 block of West Taylor Street, was arraigned Thursday on charges of aggravated DUI resulting in death, and two counts of DUI causing great bodily harm.

Judge Philip Montgomery explained that because death was involved, the most serious charge, aggravated DUI resulting in death, carries a prison sentence of three to 14 years, if Chavez is convicted. Montgomery added that because great bodily harm is involved with the other two charges, the sentence for those could range from one to 12 years.

Chavez was driving a gold 2006 Jeep Laredo east on Lincoln Highway shortly after midnight May 14 when it crossed into the westbound lane and crashed into a 1998 Toyota Camry driven by 23-year-old Sai Kumar Adluru, who was pronounced dead at the scene, court records show.

Both vehicles were found in the north ditch along Lincoln Highway, records show, and Adluru’s passenger, Charishma Dudde, 24, of DeKalb, was taken to Kishwaukee Hospital, had surgery and was released.

Police said in court records that Chavez’s blood-alcohol content was 0.076 when his blood was tested at Kishwaukee Hospital after the crash. His urine tested positive for marijuana, according to the records, which also show that police found a glass pipe with marijuana resin in his Jeep, as well as trace amounts of marijuana.

The state requested Chavez's bond be set at $250,000 May 17, and Chief Judge Robbin Stuckert ordered his release on a $20,000 recognizance bond, and placed him on electronic home monitoring.

Adluru came to NIU in spring 2016 and was a student in the master’s program in electrical engineering, according to the NIU Indian Student Association’s Facebook page. He was a member of the association’s cricket team and was set to graduate in December.

A GoFundMe page set up to make sure Adluru could be sent back to his home country, India, has raised nearly $46,000. The goal was $20,000.

Chavez is scheduled to be back in court Aug. 17.