Man Gets 10-Year Sentence in Plainfield DUI Crash

A Shorewood man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the 2011 drunken driving crash that killed motorcyclist George Weikum on Route 59 in Plainfield.

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David C. Dietrich, 34, was on his way home from a fundraiser for a youth baseball league when he struck Weikum, 58, a Naperville resident and owner of a Plainfield business.

According to police, Dietrich lost control of his pickup truck, which crossed the center line, rolled over and hit Weikum, who was riding his Harley-Davidson north on Route 59 between 135th Street and 143rd Street. Weikum was pronounced dead on the scene.

READ: MAN DEAD FOLLOWING ROUTE 59 CRASH

Following the crash, Dietrich was treated for injuries at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center before being arrested and charged with aggravated DUI, improper lane use, driving too fast for conditions and operating an uninsured vehicle. 

Dietrich pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI in October 2012, a year after the fatal crash. Prosecutors said Dietrich had been drinking at a golf outing fundraiser at Tamarack Golf Club prior to the crash.

According to the Herald News, Judge Richard Schoenstedt on Friday sentenced Dietrich to 10 years in prison. He faced a maximum 14-year sentence.

Just weeks before Dietrich entered his guilty plea, the family of the Naperville husband and father filed a wrongful death suit against him. The suit also names Tamarack Golf Club and the Victory Baseball league.

RELATED: MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN FATAL PLAINFIELD CRASH

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