One year after the tragic death of 15-year-old Columbia High School soccer player 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 last Wednesday in Monroe County Circuit Court to serve nine years in prison plus two years of supervised release. His prison sentence is to be served at 85 percent, amounting to seven years, seven months and 24 days.

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). Other charges of DUI (accident resulting in great bodily harm) and reckless homicide (motor vehicle) were dismissed.

The fatal crash occurred about 3 p.m. Sept. 1 in the 4100 block of Hanover Road.

The sentencing hearing opened last Wednesday morning – a year and two days since the crash – with Judge Chris Hitzemann hearing testimony and evidence, arguments statements from Stawizynski and the families of Bryant and Jacob Nelson – who was critically injured in the crash.

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

The sentencing began with Webb calling Illinois State Police Master Sergeant Scott Wobbe to testify as lead case agent on the crash investigation.

Questioned by Webb, Wobbe generally recounted the circumstances of the case as ISP gathered witnesses as well as dashcam and bodycam footage from Waterloo Police Officer Justin Braun.

Among the more notable items from Wobbe’s testimony were the speeds at which Stawizynski appeared to have been driving during the incident.

Braun reportedly observed Stawizynski’s vehicle to be traveling at 90 miles per hour along Route 3. Crash reconstruction indicated the vehicle was traveling roughly 98-106 mph upon impact at the crash site on Hanover Road.

Also notable was the hospital blood draw from Stawizynski which indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.12.

It was additionally noted Stawizynski had received a traffic ticket a few weeks prior on Aug. 13, 2024.

Providing additional evidence, Webb also presented a collection of videos including dashcam footage from Braun’s police vehicle and an Amazon delivery van which passed Stawizynski’s car as well as bodycam footage from Braun.

The Amazon vehicle footage simply showed Stawizynski’s car traveling at a high speed moments before the crash.

Per testimony from Wobbe and Braun’s dashcam footage, Braun was traveling south on Route 3 when he observed a Nissan driving north at high speeds.

Braun performed a U-turn, pursuing the vehicle and turning on his emergency lights but not – as was noted – his siren.

The Nissan slowed briefly and made a left turn onto Hanover Road, returning to a high speed. Braun followed suit but was briefly stopped when vehicles did not yield for him at the intersection.

Momentarily losing sight of the Nissan, Braun soon caught up to the car as it had crashed only a short way along a curve on Hanover Road.

The vehicle appeared to have struck a tree, tearing off much of the rear driver-side of the car before coming to rest.

Most individuals in the fairly large gallery during the sentencing took the opportunity to leave prior to the videos being played given the nature of their content.

Braun’s bodycam footage was especially graphic, running for over 20 minutes from the middle of his pursuit on Route 3 to some time after additional emergency services arrived at the scene of the crash.

The footage shows, on Braun’s arrival, Stawizynski and Wyatt Etherton – who had been sitting in the front passenger seat – outside of the vehicle and observing the damage.

Bryant, who had been sitting in the most damaged corner of the vehicle, can be seen lying unresponsive on the ground beside the car. Nelson is also seen unresponsive in the rear passenger-side seat.

As Braun walks around the seen, having reported the crash, his bodycam captures the wreckage of the scene, from the impacted tree to the debris from the vehicle after it had impacted.

Also captured is Stawizynski’s response throughout the aftermath of the crash.

He is first seen to be distressed about the vehicle – Wobbe’s testimony specifically noted Stawizynski saying he had just gotten the car fixed – before seemingly recognizing Bryant and Nelson’s conditions.

Upon seeing his friends, he begins crying and shouting, also praying at one point, with other emergency responders having difficulty calming him down later in the footage.

Braun briefly attempts to rouse Bryant and Nelson before another officer arrives to perform CPR on Bryant, and EMS arrive after for further care and response to the scene.

After members of the gallery returned to the courtroom, Kuehn proceeded with his cross examination of Wobbe.

Referencing reports from other officers, Kuehn questioned Wobbe on whether or not Braun was sure if Stawizynski had been able to see the police vehicle and thus the attempt to initiate

Along these same lines, Kuehn brought into question Braun’s activation of his vehicle’s emergency lights but not the sirens, noting Stawizynski ultimately faced no charges pertaining to fleeing or eluding the police.

Kuehn also spoke on the matter of Stawizynski’s previous traffic ticket, noting it was for speeding and not reckless driving.

As Webb had brought attention to it, Kuehn also raised questions about Stawizynski’s initial reaction to the crash being focused on his vehicle, asking Wobbe – who has handled a number of crash reconstruction cases – how common shock is for those involved.

Further addressing the matter, Kuehn noted how Stawizynski’s concern following the crash turned to Bryant and Nelson as he noticed their injuries. He also noted how Stawizynski began hyperventilating upon seeing Bryant get covered with a sheet by later responders.

Kuehn additionally addressed how Stawizynski seemed to take accountability at the scene to the point that he repeatedly yelled, “I’m responsible for this.”

The sentencing soon proceeded to arguments, with Webb summarizing events witnessed in the bodycam footage as “chaos.”

A key theme for much of Webb’s argument was choices. He acknowledged how Stawizynski seemed to take responsibility at the scene but emphasized it was the choices he made that ultimately led to the crash, and while he was free to make those choices, he is not free of the consequences.

Webb pointed out how, near the end of the bodycam footage, one of the relatively uninjured boys was able to hug his parents at the scene – an opportunity Bryant’s parents did not get with their son.

He also spoke about the danger Stawizynski caused by his choices, pointing to the damage Bryant and Nelson suffered but also speaking on the danger posed to Etherton and the other drivers he encountered on the road.

Along with speaking about the need to deter others by enforcing consequences, Webb noted his apparently poor behavior after he was charged during his pre-trial release.

Kuehn’s argument was considerably long, speaking on Stawizynski’s character and referring to studies on youth psychology and brain development to provide context to his reckless decisions.

In terms of his character, Kuehn said Stawizynski was a recipient of Columbia High School’s Soaring Eagle Award. He also pointed to letters voicing support for Stawizynski, his time spent volunteering at an assisted living facility and his summer at a medical workshop to pursue a future career in the field.

On the matter of psychology, he spoke about how teenage boys are prone to recklessness and can be especially susceptible to peer pressure.

Kuehn also addressed Stawizynski’s living situation. 

While his grandparents seem to have provided him with a stable home, Kuehn pointed to the influence of his parents and their substance abuse issues which ultimately led to Stawizynski moving in with his grandparents just a few years ago.

Much of the rest of Kuehn’s argument focused on various aspects of sentencing and case law. He urged Hitzemann to see Stawizynski as a juvenile with potential that would be squandered if sent to prison.

Stawizynski then read a letter of allocution he had prepared, apologizing to the families he affected and taking responsibility for Bryant’s death and Nelson’s injury.

He spoke highly of Bryant and Nelson, remarking that he would have liked to make more memories with both of them.

Stawizynski further described how he will spend the rest of his life making amends for the accident and how he hopes to help others never make this kind of mistake.

The first of four victim impact statements came from Julie Nelson, who spoke about how her youngest son Jacob was a “surprise” and “miracle” who had a tremendous impact on the family.

Julie went on to speak about how someone else’s choices upended the family’s world as a typical day with Jacob spending time with his core friend group led to catastrophe.

She recounted the chaos from the crash’s aftermath, the tragic loss of one of Jacob’s best friends, the trauma she experienced worrying for her son’s life as he initially recovered from the crash, and the pain in the family as Jacob has suffered through a long recovery in and out of the hospital.

Craig Nelson spoke next, similarly recalling how the day of the crash had started out perfectly normal before falling into chaos and panic as his son was injured in the crash.

He further described Jacob’s injury, specifically his life-threatening head injury. Craig also spoke about how the life-changing decision was not made by anyone in the family.

He questioned why Stawizynski had a license given his previous traffic violation, also noting how he wasn’t made aware of Stawizynski’s history with alcohol.

Craig further spoke on the damage done to his family, including the financial impact, the physical trauma Jacob has suffered through and the mental damage done as Jacob seems to be a significantly different person after the crash.

Scottie Bryant spoke briefly, praising his son as loyal and always smiling and lamenting how Crawford’s dream of playing college soccer was taken away from him.

He referenced Stawizynski’s apparently troubled upbringing, arguing that everyone has the choice between right and wrong.

Scottie further noted the sentencing served as an opportunity to hold someone accountable for his family’s pain and suffering.

Tara Luhr, Crawford’s mother, was the last to speak, saying that his death meant the loss of a son, grandson, friend and teammate for many people.

Luhr spoke about the trauma she’s felt following the crash, struggling to leave her other kids alone.

She, too, spoke about how a promising future was stolen from Crawford, with his prom, graduation and college soccer plans taken away by a selfish decision.

Luhr described Crawford as the glue among her kids, saying the family feels incomplete without him and echoing Scottie’s sentiment that the sentencing served as a way to hold someone accountable.

After the victim impact statements, the court took a recess for lunch and to provide Hitzemann time to deliberate on a sentence.

As the sentencing proceeded, Hitzemann carefully described the many factors taken into consideration regarding the sentencing.

He noted how Stawizynski’s charge was subject to a sentence of 3-14 years, with the state’s attorney having previously agreed to a maximum of 12 years.

Hitzemann spoke about how Stawizynski had driven at tremendous speeds – roughly double the speed limit – on roads marked for 45 mph.

Another notable item from Hitzemann’s sentencing explanation concerned Stawizynski’s behavior during pre-trial release – specifically an incident where he appeared for a drug test and wound up having an altercation with the officer overseeing his test, threatening and swearing at the officer. Hitzemann remarked that pre-trial release essentially serves as a trial run for probation.

Regarding Kuehn’s psychology argument, Hitzemann said the circumstances surrounding the impulsive behaviors don’t equate to an excuse for the choices that were made.

Ultimately, Hitzemann arrived at the aforementioned sentence of nine years to be served at 85 percent plus two years of mandatory supervised release.

Though sentencing in the criminal case has concluded, litigation concerning Stawizynski and his family as pertains to the crash continues via two civil lawsuits filed by the families of two occupants of the vehicle in this incident.

These two lawsuits were previously reported on by the Republic-Times and were recently 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, per the filing, “severe and permanent injuries to… the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, soft tissues and bones of the head, face, chest, neck, back, spine and vertebrae” as well as additional injuries including brain damage.

Both filings include counts against Stawizynski and his family as well as Dram Shop Act charges against a Collinsville retailer for allegedly providing alcohol to the underage Stawizynski.

The filings also feature a recently added charge against the City of Waterloo, as was discovered just this week.

The newest counts in the civil suit focus on the conduct of Braun acting as an employee or agent of the City of Waterloo’s police department.

It details that the City of Waterloo was guilty of a number of “willful and wanton acts and/or omissions,” including initiating a pursuit “when (Braun) knew or should have known that continuing the pursuit would result in serious injury or death.”

Additional items note the alleged failure of this officer to activate emergency sirens, communicate with dispatch and supervisors, secure and control the crash scene and timely and adequately render aid at the crash scene and failure of the city to train officers in pursuit procedures and supervise and oversee the pursuit.