A Kane County grand jury has charged Charles T. Rodgers, 20, of St. Charles, with multiple offenses related to a fatal car crash in Geneva, according to an April 17 announcement by Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser and City of Geneva Police Chief Eric Passarelli.
The charges include unlawful possession of a stolen or converted motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), two counts of reckless homicide (Class 3 felony), two counts of aggravated reckless driving (Class 4 felony), and speeding (Class A misdemeanor). The case stems from a collision that occurred at approximately 1:40 p.m. on September 5, 2025.
According to prosecutors, the incident took place when a Toyota Corolla driven by Dennis White, age 85, was turning westbound onto Bricher Road from Fisher Drive and was struck by a black BMW X3 traveling eastbound on Bricher Road. The impact caused the BMW to leave the roadway and catch fire in a wooded area north of the intersection; firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after.
Both occupants of the Toyota Corolla—Dennis White and his wife Ritsuko White, age 88—died as a result of their injuries. Authorities say Rodgers was driving the BMW with three passengers at the time; he had allegedly obtained the vehicle without authorization from his employer, St. Charles Chrysler Dodge dealership.
Prosecutors allege that Rodgers stopped briefly before accelerating aggressively on Bricher Road—a residential street with a posted speed limit of 45 mph—and reached speeds up to 119 mph moments before colliding head-on with the Corolla after attempting to steer around it rather than brake. Two passengers in Rodgers’s vehicle suffered fractures while another passenger was released at the scene following medical evaluation.
Rodgers appeared for a pretrial detention hearing where prosecutors requested he be detained pending trial; however, he was released under electronic home monitoring with conditions prohibiting him from driving or contacting survivors until his next court date scheduled for May 20 in Kane County Judicial Center Courtroom 311.
Authorities remind that “the charges against the defendant are not proof of guilt” and emphasize that “the defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
