A vice president has been fired from his mother’s company after being charged with operating a boat intoxicated and driving 80 mph when he crashed into another boat, killing an innocent woman on the Fox River near McHenry.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. Saturday and McHenry Township Fire Protection District crews arrived to find a crash involving two boats on the Fox River south of the McHenry Dam after receiving multiple 911 calls about the incident.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said that Richard M. Stevenson, 45, of Lisle, was operating a 31-foot black and orange 2026 South Bay boat on the Fox River.
Stevenson’s vessel overtook the second boat, a white and green 1997 Crowline, in the area of the 1800 block of South Fernwood Lane in unincorporated McHenry, the complaint said.
A witness told investigators that Stevenson’s boat was traveling at “full throttle” as it entered the no-wake zone and crashed into the other boat, the complaint said.
Magdalena Jablonska, 48, of Des Plaines, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, according to McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein and McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Kozel.
The complaint said the impact resulted in Jablonska being decapitated. Prosecutors said her remains were still missing as of Monday.
A LinkedIn profile for Stevenson said he is a Vice President at Stevenson Crane Service, Inc., based in Bolingbrook, which advertises itself as a leader in crane rentals, aerial and material handling rentals, and rigging and heavy haul services.
The company told Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Tuesday afternoon that his employment in the equipment sales department was terminated.
“He held no leadership role, had no involvement in company operations and no ownership interest in the company,” the company said in a statement. When asked to clarify his exact position with the company, an attorney for Stevenson Crane Service refused to answer.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by this tragedy,” the company said. The President of Stevenson Crane Service is Donna Stevenson, the mother of Richard Stevenson.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to take possession of Jablonska for an autopsy, which was performed on Tuesday morning.
Rein said the autopsy showed Jablonska died as a result of blunt force injuries to her head and body. Her official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police also responded to the scene, in addition to 18 fire personnel, Kozel said.
All other occupants involved in the crash were out of the water when the fire department arrived.
Officers made contact with Stevenson in the area and he was later transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
The complaint said a toxicology report showed Stevenson’s blood alcohol content was 0.236, which is almost three times the legal drinking limit.
Stevenson was charged with one count of reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony, and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash involving death, a Class 2 felony.
McHenry resident Cody Bingham told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that he was at a celebration of life party at a home on the east side of the Fox River.
He was among the first people at the scene and found Jablonska dead.
Bingham brought the small white vessel, in which the victim was an occupant, to a nearby dock on the east side of the Fox River.
The second person on the smaller boat was transported to a local hospital by ambulance with advanced life support care, Kozel said.
The second boat involved, which was a larger triple-engine vessel, came to rest in the timber on the west bank of the Fox River.
Stevenson is the owner of the larger boat that ran aground, according to police radio traffic.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police arrested Stevenson and transported him to the McHenry County Jail on the felony charges, jail records show.
Bystanders said the two boats were both traveling north on the river when the bigger boat was speeding and ran over the smaller boat in a no-wake zone.
Kozel said a total of four people were involved between the two boats but witnesses and prosecutors said there were five people involved in total. A dog was in one of the boats and survived.
The occupants of the offending boat left the vessel before emergency crews arrived, witnesses said.
A bystander chased after one of them, suspected to be the operator, and another reportedly left the scene in an Uber. A police canine and officers were also actively searching the area for the third occupant.
It is unclear whether the female who left the scene in the Uber, reportedly traveling to Antioch, or the third occupant would be charged with any offenses.
Stevenson was seen talking with first responders in the area of the crash before being transported to the hospital and later arrested.
Court documents said Stevenson refused to voluntarily submit to chemical testing for intoxication. His driver’s license has been automatically suspended for the refusal.
Fire officials and sheriff’s officials said the Fox River was closed between the Stratton Lock and Holiday Hills due to the incident. The river later reopened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Stevenson appeared in Initial Appearance Court on Monday afternoon where the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain him pending trial, arguing he poses a real and present danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the request after finding there were no conditions of release that could mitigate the threat Stevenson poses.
Attorney Patrick Walsh, who is representing Stevenson, had asked the court to release his client from custody on pre-trial conditions while he awaits trial.
Prosecutors said during the hearing that Stevenson was driving the boat at approximately 80 mph and had been drinking Fireball Whisky.
Prosecutors also said that Jablonska was in a relationship with the male victim who was transported to the hospital.
McHenry Fire Chief Steve Spraker called the incident “tragic” and said it was a reminder that emergencies can “take many forms and that firefighters must be prepared for all of them.”
Spraker said the fire district utilized side-scan sonar and conducted in-water search operations.
“These are highly specialized skills that require extensive training, countless hours of practice, and ongoing investment in equipment. We train long before these incidents occur so that when someone calls for help, our personnel are ready,” Spraker said.
“Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and everyone affected by this tragedy. We are also grateful for the outstanding teamwork between all of the agencies that worked together throughout this difficult incident,” the fire chief said.
Illinois Conservation Police say they are seeking the public’s help in determining what happened prior to the crash.
Conservation police are leading the investigation and are asking to hear from anyone who witnessed the crash, observed either vessel before or after the collision, or may have information related to the incident.
Investigators say they are seeking any photographs or video taken in the area around the time of the crash, including cell phone video, security camera footage or video recorded while boating on the Fox River.
Witnesses can contact conservation police by completing an online incident report form.
Court records show Stevenson has previously been charged in DuPage County in at least three driving under the influence cases. He also has prior charges for resisting an officer, fleeing or attempting to elude police and battery.
Stevenson is scheduled to appear in McHenry County Circuit Court again on August 5 at 9 a.m. for a status of preliminary hearing.
The incident remains under investigation by the Illinois Conservation Police and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
