The young man who was charged in a fatal DUI crash during the 2023 Red Bud Firemen’s Picnic was sentenced last week to prison.

On Nov. 7, 2025, Jayden Ethington, 23, of Sparta, had entered a negotiated plea of guilty in Randolph County Circuit Court to the charge of an aggravated DUI crash resulting in a death.

The charge stems a fatal accident that took place late in the evening of June 23, 2023. Ethington, who was not of legal drinking age at the time of the incident, was driving a pickup truck the wrong way on East South 1st Street (a one way street), pulling out onto South Main Street and striking pedestrian Kimberly A. Martin, 56, who had been crossing Main Street. 

Martin passed away due to her injuries while being airlifted to a St. Louis hospital.

The charging document noted Ethington had a blood alcohol content in excess of 0.08.

During sentencing on March 6, the North County News reported that Judge Jeremy Walker handed down a three-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections for Ethington.

Ethington’s sentence must be served at 85 percent, and he was given credit for time he had been on electronic monitoring.

The judge recommended Ethington for Impact Incarceration bootcamp, which could further reduce his prison sentence. 

Once release, Ethington will also have one year of mandatory supervised release.