Recently in DUI Cases Category

John Kohlbeck was arrested for a DUI back in 2008 for driving drunk into oncoming traffic in Elgin. He avoided a serious accident, but was apparently so drunk when he was arrested that he couldn’t even stand, reports the Daily Herald.

That arrest was the 43-year-old Kohlbeck’s third offense, and he faced felony DUI charges and a possible seven-year prison term. However, probation was also an option. He was ultimately convicted of the crime, but sentenced to only six months in jail and 30 months’ probation.

The ongoing DUI trial of Cecil Conner finally ended with the 24-year-old man denied a new trial and sentenced to nine-and-a-half-years in jail for the drunk driving death of Michael Langford Jr.

In May 2010, Conner was the passenger in girlfriend Kathie LaFond's car when they were pulled over after leaving a party. In the backseat of the car was LaFond's 5-year-old son, Michael Langford Jr., reports the Chicago Sun-Times. LaFond was eventually arrested for driving on a suspended license, and Conner was allegedly told to drive the 5-year-old home.

Chicago police officer Richard Bolling may have received special treatment from his fellow boys in blue following the fatal Chicago cop DUI accident that killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker, but Bolling did not receive any special treatment from a jury when he was found guilty of aggravated DUI and reckless homicide in the boy’s death.

For the crimes, the 42-year-old cop could face up to 15 years in jail, or could avoid jail completely with only a probation sentence, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. His sentencing is scheduled for February 17.

Thomas Gatz says the last thing he remembered the night he drove drunk and crashed into two cars, was taking two Ambien pills and going to bed.

The 44-year-old former firefighter from Shorewood says that he doesn't remember drinking and doesn't remember getting in his car, let along striking two women, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. This appeared to be a good enough defense, as a Will County judge only sentenced Gatz to two years of conditional discharge, avoiding jail time completely.

As 2011 rolls into 2012, there is no better time to think about all the crazy Chicago DUI arrest stories that took place.

So without further ado, here is our top five list of DUI stories from 2011:

Sandra Uher pled guilty to her sixth DUI, and will spend the next eight years in jail.

Uher made headlines last month when she showed up drunk to her court hearing for her DUI charge. After showing up drunk, Uher, who had been out on bail, had her bail revoked. Since that time, Uher has been at Cermak Hospital, a part of Cook County Jail.

According to the Daily Herald, Uher expressed remorse for her crimes and admitted she had an addiction. Previously, Uher had been convicted of DUIs in 2009, 2005, and 1999 as well as being twice convicted of driving on a revoked or suspended license.

Martin Candia was sentenced to seven years for an aggravated fatal DUI that killed ten-year old Calvin Santos in the North Side of Chicago last year.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Candia blood-alcohol level was slightly over the legal limit when he crashed his car into a parked SUV. By slamming into the SUV, Candia pushed the SUV into the car parked in front of it. Ten-year old Calvin Santos was standing between the two parked cars and was crushed to death.

Candia's blood-alcohol level at the time of the accident was 0.095 or about one light beer over the legal limit reports the Tribune. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.

Drew Forquer’s alleged fifth DUI was a fatal DUI. But Forquer’s defense now claims that he wasn’t drunk at the time of the accident, and they have a 0.045 Breathalyzer test to prove it (the legal limit is 0.08).

According to the Chicago Tribune, Forquer admittedly drank two beers the morning of the accident. But the former dentist says that he was sober later that afternoon when he got into a car accident that killed a motorcycle rider. However, the Chicago police officer that responded to the accident said that he smelled alcohol on Forquer and suspected that Forquer was drunk after administering a field-sobriety test.

Attorney Jeff Tomczak, who represented Steger local Cecil Conner in his latest DUI case, contends that his client deserves a new DUI trial because police had recorded Conner’s phone conversations while he was at the Will County Jail. Tomczak further argued that prosecutors did not released the tape recordings to him throughout the process of Conner’s trial.

“This is a very significant discovery violation,” stated Tomczak after Will County Court hearing. A hearing for Tomczak’s request for a new DUI trial is expected next week.

But the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Will County sheriff’s spokesperson Ken Kaupas said Conner’s phone conversations have been recorded at the prison since 2006, adding that multiple signs were present throughout the jail that said such recordings were done.

Court documents revealed that the latest drunk driving charge against Michael P. Ditka was recently upgraded to a felony due to two previous DUI charges that were filed against him in Lake County. Ditka, the son of former Bears coach Mike Ditka, also had another earlier DUI arrest in Cook County when he was younger, which brings his total number of DUI charges to at least four.

With the younger Ditka's most recent DUI case, the Chicago Tribune reported that his upgraded charge of aggravated DUI means he will no longer be permitted to drive while he waits for the outcome of his case.