Zion Man Pleads Not Guilty in Crash That Killed a Teen and her Father

A Zion man charged with reckless homicide about a year after a Lindenhurst crash that left an area teenager and her father dead pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court.

Christopher Romano, 33, of unincorporated Zion faces three counts of reckless homicide and one count of aggravated reckless driving resulting in bodily harm, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

The counts stem from an Aug. 29 accident near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Route 45 in nearby Lindenhurst, which killed 15-year-old Haylie Winiewicz and her 50-year-old father, Christopher Winiewicz. Haylie was a cheerleader at Grayslake North High School, the story says.

"According to Lindenhurst police, a Nissan, which officials have since said was being driven by Romano, was traveling north on Route 45 when it struck a Kia, driven by Haylie's sister, Ashley Winiewicz, as the Kia was turning left onto Grand Avenue from southbound Route 45," reported The Chicago Tribune. "The Kia then crashed into a pole on the northeast corner of the intersection, police said."

Romano was indicted on June 22. He's scheduled for a pretrial hearing Sept. 13 and a trial on Nov. 14. He is free on $10,000 bond.

Read the full Chicago Tribune story for additional details.