Lisle attorney found guilty in 2005 crash

A jury has found a Lisle attorney guilty in connection with a traffic accident that injured a woman almost four years ago.

Timothy Winfield, 43, of 5154 Atwater Court, was found guilty of two counts of Aggravated DUI Involving Great Bodily Harm, a Class 4 Felony. After a week-long trial, presided over by Judge John Kinsella, the jury returned its verdict Nov. 4 after approximately two hours of deliberations.

The verdict stems from allegations that at approximately midnight, Nov. 19, 2005, Winfield was traveling on Butterfield Road in Wheaton when he ran a red light and crashed into a van driven by an 18-year-old woman. The crash pushed the van approximately one hundred feet off the road and caused serious injury to the woman. An investigation into the crash led by the Wheaton Police Department led to the filing of charges against Winfield on Jan. 21, 2006.

The victim has fully recovered from her injuries.

"As an officer of the court, Mr. Winfield should have known better than to drink and drive," DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett said. "His actions severely injured one young woman and put countless other motorists at risk."

Winfield's next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 9 for post trial motions and to begin the sentencing phase of the case against him. While the charges against Winfield are probationable, he faces up to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections because his actions involved great bodily harm to another person.