PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria businessman has been formally charged with aggravated DUI following a UTV crash that killed a prominent local philanthropist over the weekend.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office says 52-year-old Joshua Bellamy was charged Monday in connection with the crash that killed 50-year-old Laura Cullinan of Edwards.
Bellamy was released from custody with several conditions.
Prosecutors say they requested the conditions after considering Bellamy’s lack of criminal history, ties to the community and the circumstances of the crash, including that it happened on private property.
Bellamy was ordered not to consume drugs or alcohol, to surrender his passport and not to leave Illinois without permission from the court.
He must also wear a SCRAM monitor, which provides alcohol detection and GPS electronic monitoring.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. Saturday in the 5600 block of North Kickapoo-Edwards Road.
The Peoria County Sheriff’s Office says four people were riding in the UTV when Bellamy drove off a paved driveway or path, struck a wooden post and overturned.
Cullinan was partially pinned beneath the UTV and pronounced dead at the scene.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood says an autopsy found Cullinan suffered severe blunt-force trauma to her head and chest and died instantly.
Deputies reported seeing signs of impairment in Bellamy. The Sheriff’s Office says he refused field sobriety and chemical testing.
Detectives later obtained a search warrant and collected blood and urine samples.
Cullinan was president of the Gilmore Foundation and an active philanthropist throughout the area.
Bellamy is the founder and CEO of Peoria-based HealthStrategy LLC. 25 News reports founded and owns The Yard Peoria and that the Peoria Riverfront Museum lists him as managing partner of Peoria City Soccer. Peoria City Soccer’s website does not currently list Bellamy’s name.
The crash remains under investigation by the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
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