Crime & Safety

Carly Rousso Pleads Not Guilty in 5-Year-Old's Death

The 18-year-old Highland Park resident who crashed her car into a family on Labor Day, killing a 5-year-old girl, formally denied that she huffed a cleaning product before the crash while in court on Thursday.

The 18-year-old Highland Park resident who crashed her car into a family on Labor Day, killing a 5-year-old girl, formally denied that she huffed a cleaning product before the crash Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento: The Story So Far

Carly Rousso stood quietly in court on Thursday as her lawyer entered not guilty pleas for her charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence, according to NBC Chicago.

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Rousso was driving eastbound on Central Avenue on Labor Day afternoon . Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento, 5, was killed.

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Toxicology reports indicate that the compound Difluoroethane was detected in Rousso's blood, according to the grand jury indictment. The compound was found in a commercial cleaning product uncovered in Rousso's car, according to Ken LaRue, the Lake County State's Attorney's Traffic Division chief.

If convicted on all charges, Rousso could go to prison for a maximum of 26 years, the Tribune reports. Her trial date has been set for Feb. 1.

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