Aurora man sentenced to 7 years for DUI crash that seriously injured passenger

AURORA, Ill. - An Aurora man was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to driving under the influence in a crash that seriously injured his passenger in October 2021.

Daniel Mayen, 29, was driving a vehicle on Mitchell Road in Aurora about 10:40 a.m. Oct. 24, when he crossed the center line and struck another car head-on, according to a statement from the Kane County state's attorney's office. His blood-alcohol content was .257, the statement said.

A passenger in his vehicle was hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of the crash, the state's attorney's office said.

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"This case is a painful reminder that drunken driving happens at any time of any day and that it can have extremely serious consequences. His choice to drink and drive had permanent consequences for his passenger, the victim in this case," Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Katy Flannagan said in a statement.

Daniel Mayen (Kane County state's attorney)

Mayen was on probation at the time of the crash after pleading guilty in March 2021 to a charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

He was sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for that case, which will be served concurrently with the aggravated DUI sentence, the statement said.

Mayen must serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, the state's attorney's office said.

He was granted one day of credit against his sentence for the time he has already served in the Kane County jail since his arrest.