Elgin woman gets 8 years for sixth DUI

An Elgin woman jailed after she showed up at court intoxicated last month was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $6,950 Thursday in exchange for pleading guilty to her sixth DUI.

Her previous convictions made Sandra Uher, 54, eligible for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Uher expressed remorse to Cook County Judge Kay Hanlon for the accident she caused earlier this year in Elgin when she ran a stop sign at about 11:30 a.m. March 28 at the intersection of Shales Parkway and Summit Street and crashed into another car.

Uher failed field sobriety tests and registered .30 percent on a preliminary blood alcohol test, prosecutors said. Uher had been free after posting 10 percent of her $100,000 bail. However, after Uher arrived intoxicated for a court appearance last month, a judge revoked her bail and ordered her to Cermak Hospital, which is part of the Cook County Jail, for evaluation.

“I’m sorry for all of this,” said Uher, who was convicted of DUI in 2009, 2005 and 1999 and who was twice convicted of driving on a revoked or suspended license.

“I have an addiction, and I’m doing my best to deal with it,” she said.

Hanlon agreed with Uher’s assessment of her condition.

“But I have an obligation to protect the community,” said Hanlon, who ordered Uher into a prison alcohol treatment program.

Uher received credit for 29 days in custody. Prosecutors say she must complete at least 50 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for parole.