MT. VERNON – Bond was set at $200,000 Tuesday in Jefferson County Court for a 30-year-old Mt. Vernon man charged with multiple felonies stemming from the late Sunday night crash that claimed the life of 18-year-old Courtney Estes, who was a pedestrian.

Mitchell Sharp was formally charged Tuesday with Class 1 felony failure to report a crash involving a death, Class 2 felony aggravated DUI resulting in death, Class 3 felony reckless homicide, Class 4 felony aggravated reckless driving and failure to report a crash involving a death, and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun confirmed that Sharp refused to leave his jail cell Tuesday, but Judge Jerry Crisel set bond at $200,000 despite the defendant’s refusal to appear.

According to Illinois State Police, Sharp was driving west on Main Street Sunday night when he ran off the road. Estes was a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Sharp’s vehicle came to a rest on its side after hitting a house in the 600 block of Main Street.

Mt. Vernon Police responded to the scene and discovered Sharp had fled on foot and that he was wearing no clothes. He was taken for treatment of injuries he’d suffered and was ultimately released to law enforcement who transported him to the Jefferson County Jail.

Estes, a 2023 graduate of Mt. Vernon Township High School, was pronounced dead at the scene by Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Allison Harris. MVTHS posted a message on Facebook to all current and former students who knew her to seek support via the high school.

Funeral arrangements were made for Estes at Hughey Funeral Home. Visitation will be held on Friday, Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the funeral service to follow.