shouldn't that be involuntary manslaughter? DUI? that is just a slap on the wrists. pathetic.

Yes it should. If he was drunk and caused the accident like it sounds, he should be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

7500.00??? thats all??? Ron was a generous and caring man and he is dead because of this piece of crap, and his bail is only 7500.00?? thats why there are so many repeat offenders. They get off too easy

You're not familiar with law and sentencing. But that's ok. I'll explain.

When it comes to sentencing, an aggravated DUI may yield more jail time than a reckless homicide. That's why the Plainfield drunk who killed the biker on Route 59 was charged the same way.

Because part of the agg dui statute accounts for death or great bodily injury etc.

I'm sure his full bond id $75,000 and 7500 is simply what he has to pay to get out.

I'm sure charges will follow and he will get worse. At least I hope so on behalf of the families involved!

I ride a Harley and always fear a drunken dirt bag will wipe me out! I'm a CDL driver and drink at home only not worth the risk !

A DUI??? What a loser!!! Wake up world & see what these 'kids' are doing after drinking!!! Well this kid had a problem & innocent people had to pay for it... Very sad!!!

All you people referring to him as a "kid", he's 24, not a kid. 24 makes him an adult. He should know better than to drink & drive.

Dan, you proably had priors. Let's get real.

rest in peace my brother ,and my prayers to the entire family

Hugo once again thinks he knows everything....we should remember Ron and the other family involved in the crash and forget about this piece of crap cause he's done..what a waste.

Does anyone know the conditions of the family in the car? I've been thinking about them. I know Ron would want to know too, as that's my Ron. Always concerned about others. My prayers are still with them.

It's a shame that they DUI laws are written so that the police have to jump through hoops and follow the procedure to a T. Unless an injury is involved, no blood or urine can be taken. No evidence, no case.

Why was this piece of crap drunk at 2:30 I'm the afternoon???
If he gets of on some technicality, I will have lost all faith in our justice system.
The hair on my arms stands up everytime I think of the poor families involved in this totally avoidable tragedy....my prayers are with you.

My heart goes out to the family!! As for this guy Dan having priors, was his name Danny White, looks like maybe he took his post down?

I am sadden by this my family was in the Nissan that got hit by that loser we are so lucky that they are all alive today we truly belive they had angles with them that day because both children in the back seats are alive the mother of those children is in bad shape and is going to be in recovery for a very long but again she is a alive the driver is banged up but healing. Not only did this man take a life he left children with a father grand kids with out there grandpa and we all feel the loss of this wonderful man my family was lucky that day i will be in the court room o. The 8 to support both the innocent parties this needs to stop he almost killed children !!!!!!!!!

I am against driving under the influence of anything I think they need to bring back the death penalty and put in an express line for people that injury or kill someone because of their decision to drive impaired, this punk will have to live with the guilt of taking the life of a well liked man Ron as well as knowing he hurt innocent people I have been praying for the family's of Ron as well as the family
That were injured. I may take some heat for my thoughts of the death penalty but if it was one of my family members or friends I would want the death penalty. I have known so many people that have died as a result of driving under the influence there has to be an example set.

We should all be there for the hearing Aug. 8th. This was so horrible

This is the second time my family has been affected by a person driving while impaired. My daughter Nikki Morales almost lost her husband to a drunk driver. Again luck and god played a part in saving Anothonys life. this has to stop! Now. My niece and nephew and there children will live with this in there dreams and the nightmares they will Have. Make an example out of this young man and throw the book at him. may God bless and keep Ron in his favor". John Frezzo

We must all band together and contact our legislators. We MUST get our laws for driving drunk made much stronger. We know of a man who had 8 DUIs before he served one day in jail. And the day he got out, he got drunk, bought a beater car, and drove it with no insurance and while drunk!

The law has to take this more seriously. I hope a large group of people can continue to attend the hearings, and if I am not working I will be happy to get there. Perhaps someone can start a FB page to track all this so people know when the next dates are, the outcomes of the hearings, etc. Also, maybe coordinating people getting together with their legislators - we are all in different areas, so we should be able to cover quite a few representatives, etc.

Maybe t-shirts with Ron's photo on them for the judge to look at while making his decisions.

The death of a man who did nothing but good for other people, wiped out in an instant by the poor judgement of an idiot! And the lives of the other family forever changed by injuries.

Both families need to get good lawyers and file suit against this person and his insurance company. I wonder if each adult person could file their own law suit....bombard this guy and his insurance company. It won't bring Ron back, but it will send a message and perhaps get something for their loss.

Prayers go out to everyone.

In Illinois - Aggravated DUI with 1 death = Possible imprisonment of 3-14 years; fines of up to $25,000. Revocation of driving privileges for a
minimum of 2 years from the effective date of the revocation or from the date of release from incarceration for the offense. Minimum 480 hours of community service.

This man made a conscious decision to drive while intoxicated. The result was him killing someone. That sure does sound like First Degree Murder.

My mother was killed by a drunk driver on Briggs Street in 1995 some of you might remember the accident,To me we are at a bind,a catch 22 if you will..Jail is only after you do something you are not supposed to. The kid cut the chains off the bike he was driving,went to party got drunk,coked up and was driving his bike...Now when the police got behind him the "fear of going to jail" kicked in and so did his bike..After a 110 mph police chase he hit my mothers van killing her,his cousin,and himself...now it just goes to show you that you can chain a persons bike up,put a breathalyzer on a vehicle, and you still will never stop anyone from doing anything..You can only be alert,protect yourself,there are people with breathalyzers on their car right now sitting at the bar,people driving with no license,insurance,or a care about much....This is our reality...sad to say.

John is right. You can't give every drunk driver hard jail time. Harsh **Minimum sentences** usually have undesirable unintended consequences.

I think it would be more effective to have more leeway in seizing cars.

I lost my brother in November to a drunk driver and am going to court every month and dealing with the situation. NOW, I have Ron's death to deal with as well from the same circumstances. He was an amazing man and great friend. This is becoming all too common and I think the courts need to start handing down much harder sentences.

Hugo, I agree the vehicles should be seized, regardless of who they belong to. Just as they should be seized when people are driving with no license and insurance. I disagree that the laws should not be made stricter. By letting it go we are just following the path of other areas of our country...down the toilet...rather than making a stand and making people accountable. One beer or one glass of wine will not get you to blow over the limit.

In North Carolina my sister in law's nephew lost his license for 2 years just because he refused to blow when stopped. He will never forget it. It made a huge impact on him. No jail time, just no license.

And just because some people have been consuming alcohol for 30 years and driving does not make it right at all. They've been very lucky.

I hope some good comes out of this tragic loss.

John, I am very sorry to hear about losing your Mom. My mother was nearly killed by a drunk driver when I was about 5. I remember my uncle caring for us for a long time, then found out later that my Mom nearly died when her brain swelled and they had to cut open her skull. She had problems with pain from that day on. The guy got off. That was quite a few decades ago...too many. HUGS

Clearly a very sad story....A young man makes a terrible mistake and many people pay the consequences! In order for it to be first degree murder...He would have had to say. "I'm going to go and kill Ron today and I'm gonna do it by getting drunk and hitting another car into the roadway to kill him", this is not what happened...So it would be involuntary manslaughter. I find it very disturbing that I personally know a very stand up citizen (FIREMAN),that was walking home to avoid driving under the influence, and was attacked and beaten by police! So you can't win....NO ONE WINS....This young man has family that loves him too and now they have lost their loved one too. Ron's family will NEVER have the opportunity to hug him, talk to him or tell them they love him again. Thank God that young family wasn't killed in the process too, but I am sure their lives are forever changed. One bad decision and so many people's lives are affected.....I wish people would just think before they act, but as I said...Even when you try to act responsibly, SOME JERK CAN COME AND RUIN your life anyway! There is no justice and there is no Winning for anyone! Our justice system is so broken and I don't see anyone willing to fix it, only complain about it! AMERICA NEEDS HELP!!!!

The acts of self responsibility goes a long way....you are correct CC you get harassed for public intoxication because everything is about money,the police dont even care if your drunk..Chances are your going before the judge will most likely plead out with a fine instead of fighting it and the court gets your money...

Police pulling people over yeah in theory you migh of stopped a bad thing from happening but it can not be proven that any of the people that go to jail for DUI after being pulled over were going to wreck..we only assume which is only what we can do..

Making laws harsher does not stop it,,Murder is punishable by death,it happens everyday in Chicago...by the numbers,groups,...robbery,yeah there caught and go to prison and steal,rape too,happens everyday...the laws for these crimes has some of the harshest punishments and it still does nothing...it on
Y makes the police try harder in finding a way to convict you on a harsher charge not the charge you should be charged with...look at the drug laws...How many cops have been busted planting drugs on people by their own cars dash cam,how many people claim to have this done to them that have a drug conviction,never did drugs,....we have to be careful..when a law is passed it is used to the fullest extent against its citizens and is a double standard for police and government officials...like the lady that just got the Torture law passed when her husband locked her up and beat her...the law was not passed in the domestic violence law it was passed in the aggravated assault law..which means a fight is not a fight anymore if the police pull up and you have a hold of someone and punching him that's torture...that a class x felony. 6 to 30 years mandatory 4 ...for a fist fight you have with a family member..the cop does not care that's your family..he cares about e conviction and his raise and rewards he gets for it,the states attorneys care more about the statistical numbers when running for an office position.

Of course, I have no words express my anger when I found out this jerk was drunk. I do not drink alcohol at all, not even socially. So when something like this happens, it pisses me off to no end. BUT, I think the most important thing is again being overlooked. We need to remember my dear friend Ron, his family and friends, and the family in the car. My thoughts and prayers are still with them and always will be. This may sound bitter, I am bitter, but this "guy" will spend the rest of his life with the guilt and depression, in prison or out, that comes with living with the fact that his ignorance took the life of another and scarred a young family. I think this is worse than any sentence a judge can hand down to him. It's my hope that everyone in the car will be ok. And the only comfort I can find in losing Ron is knowing that I have the most caring, loving, dedicated angel watching over me. Miss you!!!!!

Andrew Henderson is not that bad of a guy i know him personaly and im sure he is hurting really bad after what had happened im sure he is very sorry for what he did and wish he can help in anyway i grew up with him and hes a good kid just had a couple issiues to deal with.im sure he prays for the families hurt everyday to get better i agree he mad a mistake but he didnt mean to hurt anyone he would do anything under the sun to make people happy he just made a big mistake that he will pay with his freedon he caares about people so dont make him sound like an animal beause hes not god bless the families that are greeving and god bless you andrew

He was charged with DUI: not driving drunk. He tried to kill himself the next day and has been on suicide watch ever since. I know his family and they are crushed about the loss of Mr. Oswold and the injuries to all. If found guilty, he will never drive again, never have a wife or child and never have a job. He was a union electrician working 60 hours a week in 100 degree temperature. He was a great driver with a CDL. What a shame that the inaccurate press release has caused even further trauma to the accident victims who have been devastated thinking he is another punk drunk who wrecked their lives.

Ok you no what makes me laugh is that there are people on here defending a man who has no respect for himself or anyone else even you Lisa, I think that your a ass hole like our drunk friend to think for one second someone like that is a good guy you must be a drunk too he killed a man and almost killed my niece and nephew and sister-inlaw I and along with many other people don't care what a stand up man he is he is a punk and not a man at all he's on suicide watch poor baby !!!! He's more of a ass hole then I thought can't deal with what he did maybe he should drink that should help how he feels !!!!! So is this mean no it's true cause if it was your family killed I bet your tune would change there people. there's no difference between a DUI and a dwi both have the same meaning don't drive !!!!!!! No one cares he worked 60 hours a week good I hope he has money cause his loser ass is about to be sued from one end to the other !!!!! Think about who your defending he is a killer .

Susan he is punk drunk that ruined lives wake up it was two in the afternoon he was clearly wasted he smashed into a stopped car no tire tracks that means he never tired to avoid it and oh to the right wide open fields great driver my ass a great driver with a cdl would never get in a freaking car having one beer or taking one pill that says don't drive or operate heavy machinery !!!!!!!

Jodi I love you I am sorry for your loss !!!! I am really mad I almost lost my husband to a drunk driver in 2006 and thankfully in that wreck the drunk died but this one was so much worse there were babies in that car my worst fear being a mom ever and the sheer fact that this girl Lisa is telling people he is a good guy makes my blood boil because she is just as dumb as him !!!!!!!!

From my heart i was trying to remind you he will be punished forever like everyone wants. No violins, just trying to help your grief to know he is destroyed forever, like everyone wants: A reminder to all that it is not just many years in jail but no life afterwards: that will be his punishment. Not saying, it is the wrong punishment but that he will pay more than you thought. My prayers continue for all the people involved. A terrible loss. I understand the anger and rage at such a senseless loss. My heart breaks for Ron's family. I think Lisa was not defending him but reminding everyone he was a person: she did not defend his actions. I know this blog has turned vigilante but I hope when everyone starts to recover they will re-read this comment and understand that this is not the right way to work through your grief. If you only want people to blog here that support your view, then this is the wrong venue. I will not post or read this site ever again so slam my good heart all you want.

I am one of Ron's daughters. We would like to thank all of you for all of your support and for the continued support to come. It is heart wrenching that we have lost our father in the tragic way that we have, but with our loss I hope that we will be able to make some kind of change in the justice sysem with regard to drunk drivers. This will not bring back our father, but it may save someone else's.

I have known this guy sincce i was in Jr. High. He is not a killer he just made a really bad decission to get behind the wheel. Its not like he did this more then once. I think everyone on this board should stop judgeing him on what happened. He puts his heart on his sleeve. He has done so much nice things for his freinds and family. I think one accident does not deserve a mob of people calling him a killer. I also no that none of you are perfect on this board saying stuff. You may not have killed someone but that doesnt mean you can go around yelling "HE IS A KILLER, THROW AWAY THE KEY" just realx everyone. The guy made a mistake and he has to live with this everyday for the rest of his life now. I do hope the families are ok and i do pray for the family that lost there grandfather im sure the guy was a good man but im sure he wouldnt want you calling this guy a killer IT WAS A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT !!!! i pray that all of you can find it somewhere in your heart to forgive what this poor did. Please he was the only friend that helped get over the loss of my dad when he died he was there for me 24/7. He is a good guy i just wish he would have called someone for a ride.

Arraignment hearing for Andrew Henderson was today. He pleaded NOT GUILTY, so motions are to be filed on Aug. 22 & 29, and the case goes to trial on Sep. 5 @ 9:30 in Rm. 407. Judge Edward Burmila was assigned the case--that's if the Drew Peterson case is over by then. Just thought I'd share. I was not able to be a the courthouse, had to work, but I was there in spirit. Lets hope justice is done at the court dates to come. Please pray for the Oswalds and Nikkis family that were in the car.

Thanks for info, Jodi. Prayers are on the way for all involved & freinds & families.