Schaumburg man gets 3 years for 2011 DUI crash

A 40-year-old Schaumburg man pleaded guilty Thursday to driving drunk in 2011 and causing a crash that injured two people.

In exchange for his guilty plea to aggravated DUI, a Cook County judge sentenced Ernest Stefanik to three years in prison. He must complete at least 50 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

In announcing the sentence, Mandletort noted that Stefanik, who had several prior DUI arrests, had spent 172 days in treatment while in custody at Cook County Jail.

“I considered the harm you caused to those people and the progress you’ve made,” said Mandletort, who awarded Stefanik a total of 539 days credit. That included credit for 367 days in custody with time-and-a-half credit for addiction treatment.

Police encountered Stefanik while responding on Aug. 21, 2011, to a report of an automobile accident at the intersection of Shales Parkway and Walden Street in Elgin. Stefanik crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a car, injuring the male and female occupants, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Gerber. Authorities later determined Stefanik’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.289, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08.

As Cook County Sheriff’s Deputies prepared to escort Stefanik back to the lock-up on Thursday, Mandletort congratulated him on successfully completing treatment. “I hope to never see you again,” she said.