A head-on crash on Illinois Route 140 near Hamel last Sunday left two Bethalto women dead and has landed a Highland man behind two counts of aggravated DUI resulting in death and two counts of reckless homicide. Garret C. Miller, 30, was driving a GMC pickup truck eastbound when it crossed into oncoming westbound lanes and slammed into a Dodge sedan, according to investigators.
How the Crash Unfolded on Route 140
According to First Alert 4, Miller was driving a GMC truck eastbound on Illinois Route 140 when he crossed the center lane markings and entered the westbound lanes, where his truck crashed head-on into the sedan. The collision happened west of Hoxey Drive near Hamel last Sunday, Oct. 25. The highway was temporarily shut down for the crash investigation and did not reopen until roughly 11:49 p.m. that night, per the same outlet.
STLtoday.com reported that the crash killed two women. The sedan's driver, Justina L. Tennikait, and a passenger, Sharon C. Powell, both died as a result of their injuries, according to First Alert 4's reporting. First Alert 4 identified Tennikait as 65 years old and Powell as 84, though an obituary posted on Legacy.com listed Justina Lynn Tennikait's age as 66 at the time of her death near Hamel on Oct. 25 — a discrepancy that remains unresolved in available reporting.
Charges Filed Against Highland Driver
Prosecutors approved two counts of aggravated DUI resulting in death, described as Class 2 felonies, along with two counts of reckless homicide, described as Class 3 felonies, the report notes. The charges stem directly from the crash that killed the two Bethalto women. As with any criminal case, the charges themselves are not evidence of guilt, and Miller is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, per the same account.
Reporting has diverged on what happened to Miller after the crash. Miller reportedly remained in custody pending his first court appearance, while a separate account from timestribunenews.com stated that Miller had already been sentenced to between six and 28 years in prison on the DUI counts and five to 10 years on the reckless homicide counts. The two versions conflict, and no primary court record was available to confirm which reflects Miller's actual custody or case status.
Community Mourns Two Bethalto Residents
Both women were Bethalto residents. Beyond the basic facts of their deaths, few other details about Tennikait and Powell have been made public through the available reporting.
Court records for the case may eventually be available through the Madison County Circuit Clerk, which offers a court-records search. Until then, the resolution of the victims' ages and the true status of his custody or sentencing remain open questions that only official court documentation can settle.
