JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 24-year-old Bluford man was sentenced Wednesday in Jefferson County Court to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated DUI resulting in the deaths of two people.

Robert T. Hayes was 19-years-old in October 2012 when he was speeding through an Interstate 64 rest area east of Mt. Vernon and crashed into a tree.

Two passengers in his vehicle – 24-year-old Holly Fenton, of Bluford, and 20-year-old Cody Bidabe, of Fairfield – were killed. Hayes and two other passengers were injured.

Hayes was charged in 2013 with one count of misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs and two counts Class 2 felony aggravated DUI resulting in a death for that crash.

He pleaded guilty to the two felonies and was sentenced to 12 years on each count to be served concurrently. The misdemeanor charge was dismissed. He will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence, and in addition to the prison term, he will have to serve 2-years mandatory supervised release and pay $13,340 in restitution.

While free on bond in that case Hayes fled prosecution but was eventually captured in Florida and returned to Illinois.

He was again released on bond in that case but was arrested in an October 2016 traffic stop in Wayne County after deputies allegedly found a large amount of synthetic bath salts in his vehicle, along with nearly $6,700 in cash, multiple prepaid debit cards, drug pipes, scales and surveillance cameras.

Hayes posted bond and was released after that arrest, but failed to appear at his first court hearing. He is still facing felony charges in Wayne County for possession of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance.

With outstanding warrant for his arrest in both Jefferson and Wayne counties, Hayes was arrested in Williamson County and charged with Class 1 felony possession of between 100 and 400 grams of cocaine.

He has remained in custody since his December arrest in Williamson County. His plea agreement in Jefferson County does not cover his charges in Wayne and Williamson counties.

He is next scheduled for a pre-trial hearing February 27 in Williamson County court.