ST. CHARLES – Monday morning, a St. Charles County judge may have another chance to choose between “justice with mercy” and plain-old justice at Hailey Zenk’s probation revocation hearing.

Circuit Judge Michael Fagras sentenced Zenk, 19, to 10 years in prison in June 2024 for charges related to a one-car accident resulting in the deaths of three local teenagers.

However, he suspended all but 120 days of the sentence, placing Zenk instead of probation for 5 years as he said he felt compelled to temper justice with mercy.

“I am looking at a child — and she was a child when this occurred — and sometimes we are forced into maturity by the outcome of our actions, like she is,” Fagras said before sentencing her.

At 10 a.m. Monday, Zenk is scheduled to reappear before Judge Fagras, accused of tampering with an alcohol-monitoring device she’s required to wear as part of her probation.

Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood stated Zenk’s alcohol-monitoring bracelet reported it was being tampered with twice, once for about six hours and once for nearly 24 hours, in late November. During the first tampering incident, the device also detected alcohol, although it couldn’t determine if it was consumed or simply in contact with the device.

Zenk has since hired Joel Schwartz to defend her at Monday’s revocation hearing before Judge Fagras.

If Zenk is found guilty of violating terms of her probation, Fagras could issue a variety of punishments, Wood explained.

“That could be anything from I’m going continue you on probation but let this be a warning to you. Don’t let it happen again,” Wood said. “He could give her a weekend in jail. He could add additional conditions to her probation, or he could just revoke her probation and say, you know what, you had a chance, you messed it up, and I’m sending you to 10 years.”

After entering an Alford or no-contest plea, Zenk was sentenced to 10 years for driving while intoxicated resulting in two or more deaths, seven years for DWI leading to serious injury and seven years each for three counts of involuntary manslaughter. All the sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning the most she would serve is 10 years.

Zenk, then 17, was driving a 2008 Ford Focus at about 4 a.m. Feb. 5, 2023, on South Chantilly Road, northeast of Moscow Mills in Lincoln County when she went airborne and crashed into a tree, killing Kaeden Tyler; Emily McNees, 17; and William Flickinger, 18, of Troy, Missouri. Trevor Bogert, a passenger in the vehicle, suffered serious injuries after being thrown 30-40 feet from the vehicle.

Zenk, who had alcohol and marijuana in her blood, was driving 81 mph in a 35 mph zone just before the crash, according to court records.