Freeburg man had history of drunken driving before being charged in Belleville fatal crash
Brandon L. Wilson has been charged four times in St. Clair County with driving under the influence of alcohol in little more than 12 years.
The latest round of charges stems from a collision in Belleville that claimed the life of a 35-year-old mother of two. He was arrested three days later in his hospital room while already serving probation for one of his previous DUIs.
Two of Wilson’s DUIs had been dismissed in St. Clair County court, either as part of a plea bargain or through his completion of court-ordered alcohol treatment and community service.
His fourth and most recent round of charges, however, is the first to include a count of reckless homicide in the death Ashley Dancy.
Police say Wilson, 36, of Freeburg, was driving his Honda Ridgeline eastbound on South 74th Street at 10:34 a.m. on Feb. 27 when he ran into a 2015 Nissan sedan driven by Dancy, who was stopped at a traffic light.
The force of the collision pushed Dancy’s car into the intersection with Illinois 15, where it was struck by a northbound Buick Envision. Dancy was transported to a Saint Louis University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Wilson was arrested on March 2 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, where he had been recovering from his own injuries. He was charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence, one count of reckless homicide and one count of driving on a revoked license.
Wilson’s attorney Brian Polinske declined to comment Thursday.
The first DUI
Wilson’s history with alcohol-related charges dates back to November of 2009 when, St. Clair County court records show, he faced his first DUI charge.
The Illinois State Police trooper who arrested him in 2009 wrote in a sworn report that Wilson had been stopped on the side of the road in Lenzburg. It was around 4:30 a.m. The report states that Wilson’s blood alcohol content was 0.137%. A driver with 0.08% or higher is considered legally impaired.
Wilson was placed on court supervision for two years and was required to pay a $1,000 fine, receive alcohol treatment and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel.
He successfully completed alcohol treatment and was freed from court supervision with his DUI case dismissed. In Illinois, completion of court supervision means a person will not have a conviction on his or her driving record.
Above the legal limit
Wilson’s second DUI charge came eight years later in August of 2017.
A Smithton police officer arrested Wilson in 2017 in Freeburg. The officer’s sworn report states Wilson had been driving northbound in the southbound lane of Illinois 159, ran off the right side of the road twice and crossed the center line. It was around 2:30 a.m. Wilson’s blood alcohol content was 0.138%, according to the officer’s report.
In May of 2019, Wilson was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to notify police of damage to an unattended vehicle, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving on a suspended license.
Dismissed with a plea deal
A third DUI charge was brought against him in September of 2020.
An Illinois State Police trooper arrested Wilson at 2:15 a.m. in Freeburg. The trooper’s report stated Wilson ran a red light and was swerving over the center line and that he had vomit on his shirt and pants and the interior and exterior of his truck.
But that DUI charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement on the 2017 DUI and the 2019 reckless driving charges.
Under the agreement for the 2017 DUI, Wilson paid a $1,600 fine, was sent to alcohol treatment and another MADD victim impact panel and performed 240 hours of community service. He also received a conditional discharge, a type of probation that is supervised by the court instead of a probation officer, until June 28, 2022.
Wilson entered into that plea deal in June of 2021. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney levied three more counts of aggravated DUI against him less than nine months later, with the additional charge of reckless homicide in connection to Dancy’s death.
He is being held at the St. Clair County Jail on $500,000 bond. Polinske, his attorney, has asked the court to reduce Wilson’s bond.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
