Gerald Foster
RICHLAND/WAYNE COs., Ill. - A three-day jury trial in Wayne County has ended with a verdict of not guilty on two DUI counts for a Richland County man.
Brandon Blackford
Gerald Foster, 64, a well-known Richland County businessman (owner/operator of Foster's Towing in Noble as well as a salvage yard at that location), was charged three years ago this month in the death of a young Olney man, Brandon Blackford, who was 19 when he was killed in a car-v-4-wheeler accident on the night of May 22, 2015. Foster was behind the wheel of the vehicle that struck Blackford, and he was subsequently charged with two counts of Aggravated DUI Causing Death, both Class 2 felonies.
The matter was set for jury trial in Richland, and jury selection was very nearly impossible at the courthouse in Olney this week, as so many people being called or jury duty knew personally either Foster or Blackford.
On a motion by the defense (in this case, the very capable James Gomric of Belleville, who was with John O'Gara - of Brandon Jenkins fame - until O'Gara became a St. Clair County judge recently), the trial was moved to the county seat of Wayne in Fairfield on a venue change Monday and proceeded, ending today (Wednesday, May 9) with the not guilty verdict.
Chief among the aspects of the case the defense focused on were apparent discrepancies in the blood tests taken on Foster following the crash; another DUI that the Illinois State Police handled that day was the subject of much evidence, as it appeared that there may have been some confusion, possibly based on mishandling of the blood samples from both cases. In criminal cases, the state must prove its case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt, and if there's any doubt, a good defense attorney can poke holes in even a case handled by ISP.
That's apparently what happened, and the Wayne County jury found Foster not guilty, ending the three-year ordeal.
We're working on gathering more information and are hoping to present more on this situation in the upcoming print version, which we're working on right now and which will be on stands next Tuesday and Wednesday, May 15/16. Be watching for delivery announcements, and if you read online, you can check the new issue here at the e-Edition Monday night beginning at 8 p.m. Have your subs to one or both up-to-date by visiting this page and clicking through the appropriate links if you have a PayPal account; and thanks for reading!