A Lee County judge sentenced a Will County woman on Wednesday to two years of conditional discharge in connection with the December 2023 hit-and-run death of a Rock Falls pedestrian near Walton.

Kristin L. Kisich, 44, of Custer Park was charged Feb. 2, 2024, with one count of failing to report a crash that resulted in a death, a Class 1 felony, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident, a Class 4 felony.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 7

Kristin Kisich reads a statement in Lee County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Kisich pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that led to the death of Patrick Yocum. (Alex T. Paschal)

She pleaded guilty Dec. 18 to the failure-to-report charge; prosecutors dropped the charge of leaving the scene of an accident. Kisich has been on pretrial release since the charges were filed.

The charges go back to Dec. 4, 2023, when about 9:30 p.m., Patrick J. Yocum, 39, left Walton Tap and was walking near the intersection of Sterling and Walton roads when he was hit. A passerby found Yocum dead in the middle of the road. Yocum was pronounced dead at KSB Hospital in Dixon.

[ Will County woman charged in Dec. 4 hit-and-run death of Rock Falls man ]

Kisich called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office the next day and said she might be responsible for Yocum’s death. Investigators found her 2014 Jeep Cherokee at a Dixon home. Jeep parts had been found at the scene of the accident.

Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan previously told Shaw Local that Kisich was in town because she was dating someone in Dixon.

On Wednesday, Kisich appeared with attorney Robert J. Thompson for a sentencing hearing before Lee County Circuit Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert.

Kisich told her story of what happened that night and apologized to Yocum’s family members, some of whom were present in the courtroom.

“The car in front of me swerved and I hit what he avoided,” Kisich said.

Kisich said when she got home and saw online that Yocum was killed she immediately called police.

“I think of your family constantly,” Kisich said. “I have been consumed by grief and guilt.”

Thompson said they “do not intend to diminish the loss felt by the family,” but argued that it was a dark night on an unlit roadway where Yocum, dressed in dark clothing and “under the influence of various substances,” was “attempting to walk down designated country highway.”

This was “a very sudden and very frightening night in her [Kisich’s] life” where she “panicked” and failed to remain at the scene and report the accident," Thompson said.

Thompson asked the court to sentence Kisich to a shortened term of probation. He emphasized that Kisich called police immediately when she found out Yocum was killed.

“Through her accountability, we have closure for the family and a closed investigation,” Thompson said.

Thompson also emphasized that Kisich has no prior record, not even a speeding ticket, never violated any conditions of her pretrial release, has maintained full-time employment and attended counseling following the accident on her own accord.

“She is perhaps the least likely person to appear before your honor in decades and leave a felon,” Thompson said.

“She is an excellent candidate for probation,” Thompson said. “Nothing suggests that she is a danger to this community.”

Lee County State’s Attorney Charles Boonstra argued for a sentence beyond probation and asked that she be sentenced to 5 years in prison, with a requirement that 50% of the sentence is served before being eligible for probation, and five months of supervision. He also asked that Kisich be required to pay restitution to Yocum’s family and other fines.

“The defendant is being sentenced today not for the action but for the inaction,” Boonstra said. Kisich left the scene “during a time when medical aid could have helped” and there are “no grounds to excuse that.”

Boonstra asked the court to consider “aggravating factors” such as the offense itself, the degree to which her actions threatened to cause serious harm and more so when she left the scene and that she has not yet paid any restitution to Yocum’s family.

There’s “no evidence to suggest imprisonment would negatively impact the defendant”, such as mental health issues, Boonstra said.

“She took a life. She took a father,” Boonstra said.

In a victim-impact statement, Yocum’s mother, Debra, told Ackert: “I want the court to see that she needs to do time. We need some justice.”

Ackert accepted a stipulation of facts from Boonstra and Thompson, which is an agreement between parties in a legal case regarding certain facts that are not in dispute. It included photos of the extensive damage to Kisich’s car as a result of the accident.

Ackert said the “law requires the court to consider probation” and read the Illinois statute that says “the court must impose” probation unless the court believes imprisonment is necessary to ensure the safety of the public.

“The court does find that the defendant took accountability,” Ackert said.

She added that because this is Kisich’s first offense, that because “at 44 years old” she’s never gotten a speeding ticket and never violated the conditions of her pretrial release, Kisich doesn’t pose a threat to the public, Ackert said.

In addition to serving 24 months of probation, Kisich also was ordered to pay $4,621 in fines and restitution.