One year after the tragic death of Columbia High School student Crawford Bryant, the driver of the vehicle involved in the Labor Day crash has been sentenced.

Trevor Stawizynski, 16 at the time of the single-vehicle crash, was sentenced Wednesday in Monroe County Circuit Court to serve nine years in prison plus two years of supervised release, with his sentence to be served at 85 percent.

As he is currently a minor, Stawizynski will be incarcerated in a juvenile detention center at least until his 18th birthday. It would then be at the discretion of the Illinois Department of Corrections to transfer him to an adult facility, with a transfer required when he is 21.

Stawizynski previously pled guilty to a charge of DUI (accident resulting in death) while charges of DUI (accident resulting in great bodily harm) and reckless homicide (motor vehicle) were ultimately dismissed.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb served as prosecutor for the case while Justin Kuehn of Kuehn, Beasley & Young Law Firm represented Stawizynski.

As a witness, Webb called Illinois State Police Master Sergeant Scott Wobbe to testify Wednesday as the lead case agent on the crash investigation.

Webb also presented graphic dash cam and body cam footage from the officer who responded to the crash, which occurred about 3 p.m. Sept. 1 in the 4100 block of Hanover Road and involved a 2013 Nissan Altima driven by Stawizynski. Crawford, a 15-year-old CHS sophomore who played on the soccer team, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Another teen occupant was airlifted to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, while two other CHS students were transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Arguments made against Stawizynski at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing before Judge Chris Hitzemann focused largely on an apparent lack of sympathy and poor behavior exhibited during his pre-trial release.

Kuehn contended his client did feel guilt for his actions and further argued on the matters of youth brain development and psychology as they contributed to his reckless behavior.

The court also heard from the parents of both Bryant and a minor passenger who was critically injured as a result of the crash and was left with a lengthy, life-altering recovery process.

Additionally, two civil suits naming Stawizynski – filed by the families of two of the occupants of the vehicle at the time of the crash – have been consolidated in Monroe County Circuit Court.

One of these is a wrongful death suit filed March 10 on behalf of the Bryant family, while the other was filed June 4 on behalf of the family of a different minor passenger who suffered “severe and permanent injuries – including nerve, bone, spine, vertebrae and brain damage,” per the court filing.

On the one-year anniversary of his tragic passing, Columbia High School students and the community gathered on the CHS turf multi-purpose field Monday evening to honor the life of Crawford Bryant. 

Those in attendance shared memories, reflected on his impact, and released balloons in his honor. 

“It was a touching reminder of the strength of our community and the lasting mark Crawford left on all of us,” CHS stated in a Facebook post. “His memory continues to inspire and bring us together.”