Gary L. Hollis Jr., a 32-year-old man from Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a violent carjacking that occurred in March 2022 near Mundelein and resulted in a catastrophic crash in Volo.
Carjacking Details
The incident began when Hollis targeted a 48-year-old Round Lake Beach woman who had pulled over to assist what she believed was a stranded motorist. Instead of receiving help, the woman was forcefully pulled from her Chrysler PT Cruiser by Hollis, who then fled in her vehicle.
Crash and Arrest
Shortly after the carjacking, Hollis crashed the stolen vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed on Route 60. As he approached the intersection with Route 120, he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway, causing the Chrysler to strike a traffic standard and roll over multiple times.
Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a downed street sign around 1 a.m. on March 4, 2022. At the scene, they discovered a completely destroyed Chrysler PT Cruiser approximately 1,000 feet off the roadway. Hollis was found unconscious and in “extremely critical condition,” subsequently transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
A warrant for vehicular hijacking was obtained in April 2022. However, due to Hollis receiving extended rehabilitation following the crash, he did not surrender to authorities until June 2023. In a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, Hollis pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony.
Sentencing and Projected Release
Hollis was sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with 166 days of credit for time served. Following truth-in-sentencing guidelines, he is expected to serve 50% of his sentence. According to IDOC records, his projected parole date is December 2025.
