An Illinois man avoided prison Friday for shooting another driver after a crash.
Ralph Bevineau, 30, of Joliet, pleaded guilty to robbery, a Level 5 felony, and criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony.
He was sentenced under a 6-year agreement — that includes 18 months in Lake County Community Corrections’ home detention and three years probation. He must earn a GED and complete substance abuse treatment.
Deputy Prosecutor Chris Bruno asked Judge Samuel Cappas to accept the plea.
Defense lawyer Lakeisha Murdaugh said her client matured after taking care of his kids in recent years.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes,” she said.
The pending case meant he couldn’t find a job, Murdaugh said.
Bevineau declined to speak in court. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss all other charges, including attempted murder, for the plea agreement.
A probable cause affidavit states that around 12:30 a.m. Nov. 13, 2019, Bevineau rammed a black Audi into a woman’s Chevrolet Cruze near the 3300 block of Michigan Street in Hammond, causing her to veer off the road and strike a telephone pole.
The woman later told police that when she got out of the car, she saw the driver of the Audi, Bevineau, step out and point a handgun at her, asking her if she wanted to die, the court document said.
He then went back into the Audi and retrieved a handgun before firing multiple shots at the woman as she ran away, the affidavit states.
When another woman pulled over in a red Ford to help, Bevineau allegedly got in her car and took off after a short exchange, according to the affidavit.
