MT. VERNON, Ill. – A former Illinois state trooper who killed two Collinsville sisters due to reckless driving in November 2007 is still trying to regain his driving privileges some 16 years after the fatal collision.
An Illinois State Police cruiser struck Jessica and Kelli Uhl head-on as they were traveling back from a family photo shoot on Interstate 64 near Highway 158 on Nov. 23, 2007. The girls died at the scene. Jessica was 18; Kelli was 13. Two other people were injured in the crash.
Matt Mitchell, the trooper behind the wheel of the cruiser, was driving 126 miles per hour, talking to his girlfriend on a cellphone, and typing on the patrol car’s computer when he lost control of the vehicle and crossed the median into oncoming traffic.
In April 2010, Mitchell reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to reckless homicide. He was sentenced to 30 months’ probation and agreed to have his license suspended.
Mitchell was fired from the Illinois State Police as well.
An administrative hearing had been scheduled for November 1 regarding Mitchell’s bid to regain his driver’s license. That hearing was postponed until January 2024 because Mitchell failed to produce a medical evaluation prior to the scheduled court date.