Charges against Crystal Lake ex-dean, coach upgraded to felony DUI in crash causing serious injury

Charges have been upgraded to felonies against a volleyball coach and dean in Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 who is accused of being intoxicated during a crash that caused “great bodily harm,” according to a new indictment.

The document alleges that Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake was above the legal alcohol limit and had two minors in her car when the crash occurred about 9:15 p.m. May 9.

Agnello now faces eight felony counts of aggravated DUI, including aggravated DUI causing bodily harm and with child passengers, the indictment shows; she is also accused of felony child endangerment and a petty offense of carrying an open container of alcohol in the car.

Agnello was first charged in May with misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection to the crash. Those charges have been dismissed and now upgraded to the existing felony charges, according to court records.

Agnello was dean of Crystal Lake South High School and was head volleyball coach at Prairie Ridge High School. She was placed on leave following the charges, district officials confirmed in May.

In response to a Northwest Herald inquiry Friday about any updates in Agnello’s job status, a District 155 spokesperson said she “resigned as STEM division leader and head volleyball coach at Prairie Ridge H.S., effective after the 2024-2025 school year.”

The statement made no mention of Agnello’s status as dean of students at Crystal Lake South, where she remained listed as such on the school’s website as of late Friday. The district spokesperson later clarified that Agnello was no longer dean at South because she had previously accepted the STEM position at Prairie Ridge, though that had been due to start in the 2025-26 school year. It was unclear when Agnello resigned.

According to a Crystal Lake Police Department report from the May 9 crash, obtained by the Northwest Herald through a Freedom of Information Act request, officers observed “significant damage” to vehicles in the crash and “odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating” from Agnello’s breath.

The officer said Agnello’s “speech was thick-tongued and slurred” and she refused to take a breathalyzer test, but blood samples were taken from her later that night, according to the report.

Officers found a “white thermal jug near the center console which contained a clear liquid. The jug was half full and had an intense odor of an alcoholic beverage,” according to the report. An officer indicated the liquid tested positive for the “presumptive presence of alcohol,” the officer said in the report.

Before the crash, Agnello was at her neighbor’s home “for one hour” and then picked up her two children from her parents’ home, the police report states. She is due for a court appearance on July 22, according to court records.

An attorney representing Agnello could not be reached for comment Friday. The enhanced charges were issued Thursday, records indicate.