Charges filed in Cortland woman’s death in motorcycle crash

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged a Naperville woman with felony reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving in the death of a 29-year-old Cortland woman who was a motorcycle passenger, officials announced in a news release.

Adrienne D. Wheeler, 37, also was charged with misdemeanor failure to signal when required, improper lane use and making an improper U-turn, according to the release and court records.

Wheeler was driving a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban east on Butterfield Road and Savannah Drive in Aurora about 5 p.m. May 1 when she attempted to make a U-turn, according to the release.

While Wheeler was turning, a 1990 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, also traveling east, collided with the driver’s side of the Suburban, ejecting both the driver, a 30-year-old Batavia man, and Nicole Ross, 29, a passenger on the motorcycle, according to the release.

Ross was thrown into the westbound lanes of Butterfield Road, where another vehicle struck her. She later died of her injuries.

Crash investigators from the Aurora Police Department’s Traffic Division determined Wheeler was making a food delivery and intended to turn left from a private strip mall drive onto westbound Butterfield Road, according to the release.

After being delayed by another vehicle in front of her, Wheeler switched lanes to turn right and proceeded east on Butterfield. Within a few seconds, Wheeler tried an unsafe U-turn from the curbside lane to travel west on Butterfield, entering the path of the Harley-Davidson traveling in the median lane of eastbound Butterfield, according to the release.

Wheeler was taken into custody Oct. 2.

The most serious charge Wheeler faces is reckless homicide in a motor vehicle, a Class 2 felony punishable by four to seven years in prison and fines up to $25,000, or up to 48 months of probation, if convicted.

Court records show prosecutors sought to deny Wheeler pretrial release, but in a bond hearing, Judge Robert Villa allowed her to be released with special conditions including that she is “not allowed to drive a motor vehicle for any reason until further order of the court.”

Wheeler is set to appear in court Nov. 13.