Belleville woman faces felony DUI charge after motorcycle passenger dies
A 44-year-old Belleville woman with a previous DUI conviction has been charged with a felony DUI in connection with the death of a motorcycle passenger struck by a car on Labor Day in Alton, authorities said.
Erin L. Arras was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing death, according to a news release from the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The charge was filed after Natasha J. Dillinger, 27, of Bethalto died on Wednesday, two days after she was struck.
Dillinger was a passenger on a motorcycle in the 700 block of West Broadway in Alton when the motorcycle was struck by a car pulling out of a parking lot. The operator of the motorcycle also was injured but officials did not release this person’s condition or name.
Arras is accused of driving the car that struck the motorcycle.
Arras pleaded guilty in 2011 in St. Clair County on a DUI charge filed in 2010, according to court records. She received two years of probation.
If convicted on the Madison County charge, she faces a sentence of three to 14 years, according to prosecutors.
Online Madison County records do not list an attorney for Arras.
Her bond was set at $500,000. Arras had been held at the Alton Police Department as of Thursday.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 1:47 PM.
