CROWN POINT | A Gary woman pleaded guilty Thursday to two felonies related to the 2006 two-car accident that killed 28-year-old William Alvarez, of Griffith.
Kristina Hiltunen, 25, originally was charged with eight felonies and four misdemeanors in the crash, Lake Criminal Court records show. She pleaded guilty to two felony counts of causing serious bodily injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges.
Chicago police Officer Christopher Berlanga, 28, also is charged in Lake County Criminal Court with seven felonies and five misdemeanors for his alleged part in the Jan. 16, 2006, accident, court records show. His case is pending, and he is attempting to suppress evidence that prosecutors say shows he was intoxicated at the time of the wreck.
Hiltunen was high on marijuana when she ran a red light at the intersection of Indianapolis Boulevard and Martha Street in Highland, court records state. Berlanga's blood-alcohol concentration was 0.19 after the accident, records state. It is illegal to drive in Indiana with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
Berlanga was driving a BMW south on Indianapolis Boulevard when he collided with Hiltunen's Pontiac Grand Am, police said.
Alvarez was a back-seat passenger in Hiltunen's car. He died of blunt force trauma early the next morning at The Community Hospital in Munster.
Another of Hiltunen's passengers, Thomas Miller, suffered severe injuries and was kept in a medically induced coma for weeks after the accident, court records state.
Berlanga was traveling between 62 mph and 66 mph at the time of the accident, investigators determined. The posted speed limit there is 35 mph.
Hiltunen is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. She faces a maximum of six years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.
Lake County Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. continued a hearing Thursday afternoon to discuss defense attorney Nick Thiros' motion to suppress evidence in Berlanga's case. Thiros argued the paperwork written by police to require Berlanga to submit to a blood-alcohol test was not specific enough.
Berlanga has suspended police powers pending the outcome of the case, a spokeswoman from the Chicago Police Department said Thursday.
