McKinzie Gets Two Years for Teutopolis Bus Crash

The Mattoon woman whose minivan collided with a Teutopolis school bus in February has been sentenced to two years in prison.

37-year-old Scarlett McKinzie had earlier pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated DUI for her role in the collision February 10 on Illinois Route 32 at the Bruce-Findlay Road. The impact caused the bus to overturn before it skidded to a stop. Several students and teachers were injured in the collision. Alcohol bottles and pill containers were found in McKinzie's vehicle.

In imposing the sentence, the trial judge said the prison time is for the protection of the public, and said probation or conditional discharge would deprecate the seriousness of the offender's conduct, and would be inconsistent with the ends of justice.

McKinzie was also ordered to pay a $1,000 emergency response restitution to the Sullivan Fire Department for the cost of their work at the crash scene.