New Felony Charges For Crushing Friend Under Car Land Woman in Jail

JOLIET, IL — A Romeoville woman who was slapped with felony charges seven months after she ran over a friend — nearly killing her — while fleeing a Joliet house was jailed Monday morning.

Rose Marta, 31, had a Monday morning court hearing to address her bond status. She had been free on $100 cash bail since Nov. 3 while she faced a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge in connection with the shocking incident that left her 27-year-old friend severely injured.

Earlier this month, a criminal indictment was filed charging Marta with two felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence. The indictment mentions methamphetamine and cannabis.

In the aftermath of the ghastly accident, Marta insisted she was sober when she ran over her friend, identified in the indictment as Stephanie Kayser, but Marta did admit to smoking marijuana a day earlier.

“I’m not going to stay high all day long,” she pointed out.

“I don’t even drink,” Marta also said.

Kayser had been working as a caretaker for an ailing, 59-year-old man at a house on Mayfield Avenue. Marta said she, Kayser and a man were hanging out at the house and fell asleep.

Not long after, the ailing man returned to the house with another man and a woman, Marta said. He was armed with an assault rifle, she said, and she woke up with its barrel in her face.

Police said the man called his son for help after finding two strangers in the house with his caretaker.

Amidst the chaos of a physical altercation, screaming and yelling, Marta made a run for it and jumped in her car, she recalled. The police said she crashed into a parked vehicle before driving through a yard and running down her friend. Marta insisted it was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to!” she said, telling how she went to check on her friend after realizing she was pinned under the car.

“I pushed her hair back to see her face and there was blood all over her forehead,” Marta said.
Police officers were reportedly able to lift the vehicle high enough to pull Kayser out.

She was taken to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center where it seemed she might die, police said. She reportedly suffered a broken pelvis and broken ribs.