A Carpentersville man faces criminal charges for his role in a May 2018 traffic crash that resulted in the deaths of 32-year-old Rocio Hernandez-Balderas of Carpentersville and her unborn child, and injuries to two others.

Frank Ruiz

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Officce has charged 19-year-old Frank Ruiz with the offenses of:

• Reckless homicide, Class 3 felony. 2 counts
• Aggravated reckless driving, Class 4 felony, 2 counts
  

Kane County prosecutors allege in charging documents that on May 19, 2018, Ruiz, while driving at an excessive speed and disobeying a traffic control device, failed to reduce speed, causing the deaths of Hernandez-Balderas and her unborn child and injuring two others.

Ruiz surrendered to authorities on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.

He appeared Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, in Kane County bond court. The judge set Ruiz’s bail at $25,000 and released him based upon his promise to appear in court.

The judge set Ruiz’s initial court appearance for 9 a.m. Jan. 25, 2019, in front of Kane County Circuit Judge Clint Hull in Courtroom 305 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

The charges against Ruiz are not proof of guilt. Ruiz is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office news release. To follow news releases directly from the SAO, visit the State’s Attorney’s website and Facebook page.