Man charged in Oswego coach's death pleads not guilty

The Aurora man charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of an Oswego High School softball coach pleaded not guilty before a Kendall County judge Wednesday, July 25, in Yorkville.

Prosecutors say Nehemiah Williams, 38, of the 100 block of Gregory Street, Aurora, was behind the wheel of a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica when he struck Amanda Stanton, 26, of Lockport sometime on June 24 along Plainfield Road near Plainsman Court in Oswego Township.

Stanton was the head softball coach at OHS and was a math intervention specialist at Jefferson Junior High School in Naperville.

Williams is charged with failing to report an accident that resulted in personal injury or death, reckless homicide and driving with a suspended license, all felonies.

Judge Robert Pilmer told Williams at Wednesday’s hearing that he had been indicted by a grand jury on those charges.

Defense attorney Dawn Projansky of Chicago, who took over from the public defender as Williams’ defense attorney, entered a not-guilty plea for her client on all of the charges.

Pilmer set the next hearing for 9 a.m. Aug. 30 at the Kendall County Courthouse.

Pilmer had reduced Williams’ bond at a July 6 hearing from $1 million to $150,000, which was still much higher than Williams’ attorney’s request for $50,000.

Williams has not posted bond and is still in custody at the Kendall County Jail in Yorkville.

Williams is also facing a DUI charge and other charges in Kane County. He was out on bond on those charges when Stanton’s death occurred in Kendall County.