LAWRENCE CO., Ill.—The jury trial of a man accused of dragging a young boy to his death will not go off this week as planned.
Chad Hayes, whose 33rd birthday is coming up next week, had originally been scheduled for a jury trial to commence Tuesday of this week, with the trial supposed to have already been underway as of today.
However, at 1 p.m. today, Hayes will actually be undergoing a stipulated bench trial instead of facing a jury of his peers.
This has been the agreed-upon course of action between the attorneys, the very capable defense attorney brad Vaughn for Hayes, and Special Prosecutor Mike Vujovich, who has taken the case for Lawrence’s duly-elected state’s attorney, Chris Quick. Vuj, at Quick’s behest, has had the case for awhile after then-prosecutor Lisa Wade called him in (as she was having a hard time handling the caseload in Lawrence since about the time she took office) when the incident first happened in July 2011.
Chad Hayes
Hayes is accused of being under the influence of intoxicating compounds/substances when he struck David Kearby on a Sumner street, dragging him under his van for about a block and a half before realizing what had happened.
Disclosure has learned that the blood evidence taken that day in July 2011 is fairly incontrovertible, so Hayes opted to follow through with a stipulated bench trial, that proceeding that Danny Coston opted for last August instead of going through a jury trial.
Judge Mark Shaner will preside over the “trial,” which amounts to the state presenting evidence that would be brought up at jury trial, and the defense essentially “stipulating to” (agreeing with) that which is presented. Then, in exchange for this, a sentence will be reached, and Hayes will likely be taken into custody immediately if it’s a DOC term.
It likely will be, since Hayes was operating with some aggravating circumstances in his criminal background when the incident occurred.
Of course, you never can tell what the courts are going to do…so we’ll be watching this situation to see where it leads. Check the page frequently for updates.