McHenry man with 1999 reckless homicide conviction pleads guilty to another DUI

A McHenry man convicted in 1999 of killing a 32-year-old man drunken driving in Lake County pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated driving under the influence of drugs in Spring Grove in 2021, McHenry County court records show.

Mark C. Jensen, 48, of the 2900 block of Shorewood Drive, entered into a blind plea of guilty to aggravated driving under the influence with a prior reckless homicide.

He faces between two and five years in prison when sentenced Feb. 23. He is not eligible for probation due to his 1999 conviction, according to court documents.

He also could be sentenced up to one year of mandatory supervised release after satisfying his prison term.

In exchange for his plea, three additional charges of aggravated driving under the influence, possession of 30 to 100 grams of marijuana, and possession of unsecured marijuana in a vehicle were dismissed, according to court documents.

Jensen is accused of driving a vehicle on Feb. 12, 2021, while “under the influence of any other drug or combination of drugs to a degree that renders the person incapable of safely driving,” according to the amended indictment.

Initial charges accused him of driving under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and ketamine, according to the indictment.

In the Lake County case, he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide while under the influence of alcohol.

In that case, Jensen admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol when he caused a fatal crash on Sept. 27, 1998, at the intersection of Route 41 and Buckley Road in North Chicago, resulting in the death of a 32-year-old Maywood man, according to documents in the Lake County courthouse.

He was sentenced to 48 months of probation, periodic imprisonment for 30 months, treatment for substance abuse, and $6,500 in restitution, according to a sentencing order in the Lake County courthouse.

He also was ordered not to drive a vehicle for four years and perform 151 hours of public service, under the terms of the “intensive probation,” according to court documents in Lake County.

Attempts to reach his attorney Tuesday were not successful.