By Joe Ragusa
BLOOMINGTON – Former Illinois State University student Joshua Dunn has been found guilty on several charges related to the fatal hit and run of former ISU student Benjamin Allison, but Judge Casey Costigan is delaying a decision on the most serious charge.
That charge is aggravated felony DUI. Costigan ruled that because Dunn tested positive for marijuana after the crash on Jan. 24, the criteria for misdemeanor DUI had been met.
Costigan also found Dunn guilty of a few traffic offenses including failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident. A court date for a decision on the felony DUI is Oct. 1.
The man from Lombard is accused of being under the influence when he struck and killed Allison, of Crystal Lake, in Normal earlier this year.
Dunn has already pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to report a fatal accident in the death of Benjamin Allison in January.
Normal Police Detective Darren Wolters testified that Dunn told him he was at a party the night prior to the incident.
“He stated that he drank approximately five to six beers throughout that evening while playing drinking games at the apartment,” Wolters said.
Wolters said Dunn described himself that night as buzzed but not drunk.
The next morning, Bloomington Water Department employee David Wright said he noticed a vehicle that was identified as the one Dunn was allegedly driving that morning going through a blocked off construction zone in the 200 block of E. Vernon Ave.
“I saw (the vehicle) try to turn towards our barricades, so that’s what got my attention,” Wright said. “I knew it was trying to come through an area it shouldn’t have been trying to come through.”
That happened a few minutes after the alleged hit-and-run. Wright said the windshield of the vehicle was heavily smashed.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].
