Man gets 10-year sentence for his 11th DUI
A 42-year-old former West Chicago man will have years to sober up and think about how his failure to put down the bottle cost him his freedom.
Michael J. Picon, of the 300 block of Eighth Street, Silvis, recently was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Kane County Judge John Barsanti.
Picon pleaded guilty in January to a DUI — his 11th in the last 20 years in DuPage, Kane and Rock Island counties — from an arrest April 16, 2012, near Sugar Grove.
Prosecutors said that after Picon pulled over off Bliss Road, a police officer stopped at the scene to see if he was OK.
Picon showed several signs of being drunk, and when he got out of the vehicle, an open beer can in the door fell on the ground, prosecutors said. Picon also had an opened 12-pack of beer in the vehicle.
Barsanti sentenced Picon to 10 years for aggravated DUI and five years for driving while his license was revoked. Both are felonies.
The sentences will be served simultaneously. Under state law, Picon can have his sentence halved for good behavior while in prison.
Ask a lawyer: The Kane County Bar Association will host its next “Ask A Lawyer Day” from 9 a.m. to noon March 9.
The program, established for the association’s 150th anniversary several years ago, allows people to call in for a free consultation with a volunteer attorney.
Association officials say attorneys last month were able to give advice on a variety of matters, such as real estate, landlord/tenant disputes, criminal cases, estates, wills, divorce and child custody.
If people call (630) 762-1900 and the line is busy, keep trying. Attorneys will not able to access voice mails left at the number.
The service is sponsored by the Kane County and Illinois State Bar Associations.
Credit in murder conviction: A McHenry County jury last week convicted a 28-year-old Woodstock man of a May 2011 murder.
Timothy S. Smith faces 45 to 85 years in prison when h sentenced April 25 for shooting Kurt Milliman, 48, of Prairie Grove, in the back.
Prosecutors argued Smith had pimped out his wife to help make ends meet and staged a burglary scene after he shot Milliman.
Milliman went to the couple’s home after answering an online sex ad, but Kimberly Smith, 30, changed her mind and didn’t want to engage Milliman.
Michael Combs, chief of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Criminal Division, praised the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department for uncovering the real story behind Milliman’s death.
“I am proud of the excellent job that was done by the sheriff’s department,” Combs said. “If not for the work of the detectives, the case would not have been solved. They deserve all the credit.”
hhitzeman@dailyherald.com