DeKalb family grapples with loss as driver gets 120 days for fatal crash

DeKALB – When Tevorra Clark heard the sentence for the woman who pleaded guilty to causing a 2021 crash that killed her brother, she said she was upset.

Kelvin Clark, 37, of DeKalb was walking in the 1500 block of West Lincoln Highway about 10:41 p.m. June 10, 2021, when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Ahna R. Dixon-Silva, 24. Kelvin was taken by paramedics to OSF Saint Anthony Hospital in Rockford, where he died.

“My most [fond] thing I remember about Kelvin was his smile, the way he laughed and how he was so kindhearted to everyone,” Tevorra Clark said Tuesday.

Kelvin was the second oldest of six siblings, and four years older than Tevorra.

Tevorra told Shaw Local News Network she wanted to share Kelvin’s story.

Dixon-Silva, formerly of DeKalb who now lists a Chicago address in court records, was under the influence of drugs when she got behind the wheel that night, prosecutors said.

On May 15, she pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless homicide and four counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, according to DeKalb County court records.

In return, Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery sentenced Dixon-Silva on July 29 to 120 days in DeKalb County Jail and 24 months of probation, records show. She also was ordered to undergo addiction treatment. She began her sentence right away, but got credit for 1 day she spent in jail at the time of her 2021 arrest.

She faced up to 10 years in prison.

“I walked in and I see her crying and hugging her family. And all I’m thinking is ‘You get a chance to hug and tell your family that you love them.’ I’m never getting the chance to hug and tell my brother Kelvin I love him,” Tevorra Clark said, describing the sentencing hearing.

Dixon-Silva was represented by Sycamore-based defense attorney David Camic. Attorney Daniel Regna of the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted.

She wasn’t charged until October of 2021. Her initial charges also included aggravated driving under the influence of drugs, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle and driving under the influence of drugs, according to court records.

Police said they found cocaine and marijuana in Dixon-Silva’s car during a search after the crash, court records alleged. Blood tests showed she had 3.9 nanograms per milliliter of tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, the compound found in marijuana that produces a high, in her system at the time of the crash. Urine samples processed by the Illinois State Police also showed she had cocaine and marijuana in her system, according to court records.

In a statement provided by Tevorra Clark on behalf of her family, Tevorra said she doesn’t believe Dixon-Silva’s sentence was enough to counter the pain of losing her big brother.

She said she and her family have waited three long years for justice. She said she fears for what could happen when Dixon-Silva gets out of jail.

During the sentencing hearing, Tevorra and four others read victim impact statements, to share with the court what they’ve endured since their loss.

“My brother[’s] life mattered to me and my family,” Tevorra Clark said. “I don’t believe that her sentencing was justice at all.”