Poplar Grove woman pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed 2 people in Marengo, gets 14 years

A Poplar Grove woman sobbed uncontrollably as she pleaded guilty Friday to driving under the influence of cocaine when she drove 104 mph and ran a red light before a 2021 crash in Marengo that killed two people.

Miranda A. Johnson, 28, of Poplar Grove, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of cocaine causing death.

Johnson could hardly be understood as she wept and apologized to the victims’ families.

“I wish every day it could be me and not them,” Johnson said.

The crash, which resulted in the deaths of Julie Greif, 51, of Marengo, and Carlos Valencia, 34, of Elgin, occurred about 5 p.m. Sept. 29, 2021.

Assistant State’s Attorney William Bruce said that Johnson had cocaine in her system when she drove a 2012 Honda Civic west near the intersection of West Coral Road and Route 23, blew a stop light and crashed into the vehicle Greif was driving. Greif was crossing the intersection at a green light and driving about 35 mph north on Route 23.

Johnson caused “catastrophic damage” in which both vehicles flipped upside down, Bruce said.

Valencia was a passenger in the vehicle Johnson was driving, according to court documents.

In victim impact statements written by Greif’s family members and read by Bruce, Greif was described as “the sweetest, most beautiful soul ... who always put others first.”

A family member of Valencia’s, speaking on Zoom, tearfully described him as kind, forgiving and respectful. She said that as a child he was loving, energetic and curious.

As a teen, he hung around with the wrong crowd and had made some mistakes, but he was in the process of rebuilding his life “when his life was cut short.”

When released, Johnson will serve two years of mandatory supervised release. She is required to serve 85% of her sentence and will receive credit for 495 days spent in the McHenry County jail while awaiting trial.

In exchange for her plea, additional counts of aggravated driving under the influence, reckless homicide, driving more than 35 mph above the speed limit, disregarding a traffic control device and operating an uninsured vehicle were dismissed, records show.