Deer Grove man sentenced to 180 days in jail and probation for aggravated drunk driving that killed Sterling businessman – Shaw Local

MORRISON — A Deer Grove man was sentenced to 180 days in jail and four years of probation after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and causing a head-on crash that killed a Sterling businessman.

Alan. E. Thompson Jr., 52, pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence and was sentenced Wednesday afternoon in Whiteside County Court in connection with the collision that killed Timothy D. Gonigam , President of Astec Mobile Screens, on October 21, 2021, in Pound Sterling.

Thompson, initially charged only with misdemeanor drunken driving, also pleaded guilty to improper lane usage Wednesday. Charges of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and failure to reduce speed were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He was also fined $26,000 and must pay $17,208 in restitution.

Thompson was scheduled to stand trial Tuesday on those charges, but the trial was canceled when a plea date was set, according to court records.

According to the Whiteside County Sheriff's Office, Thompson was heading north on State Route 40 at Green River Bridge, north of Osage Road, around 5:30 p.m. on October 21, 2021, when he crossed the center line and struck the southbound vehicle driven by Gonigam. 58, walnut.

Gonigam died on the spot. Thompson was treated at OSF St. Anthony's Medical Center in Rockford for unspecified injuries.

Gonigam worked for Astec Mobile Screens for 37 years, starting when it was Production Engineered Products in Walnut. He was president and CEO at the time of his death.

According to online court records, Thompson has a criminal history in Whiteside County dating back nearly three decades.

In 2015, he was sentenced to four concurrent years for three counts of burglary; in 2005, he was sentenced to three years and six months – concurrent – ​​for three counts of forgery; in 2004, he was sentenced to two years in prison for writing bad checks; and in 1997, he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years of probation, also for forgery, according to court records.

Thompson was also charged with possession of a controlled substance in a case filed on July 26, 2022. This case remains open; however, court records indicate prosecutors will seek dismissal of the charge.

Thompson faces three to seven years in prison if convicted of the drunken driving charge, and one to four years for the controlled substance charge. Thompson is represented by Sterling's defense attorney, James Mertes.