Elgin man accused of fifth DUI

A 48-year-old man had a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal threshold when he was arrested Sunday in Elgin on charges of his fifth DUI, according to police.

Daniel L. Abela, of the 100 block of Second Street, Elgin, was charged with felony aggravated DUI for his fifth DUI arrest, aggravated DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of .16 or greater, and aggravated DUI in driving while his license was suspended or revoked, according to Kane County court records.

According to a police report, officers were called at 2:12 a.m. Sunday to McDonald's, 1480 Larkin Ave., for a man sleeping in a car with its engine running and parked across two spots reserved for handicapped drivers.

Abela told police he had a "few beers" at a friend's house in South Elgin, but he was later taken to a Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, where a preliminary blood alcohol screen registered .248, according to a police report.

The legal threshold for drivers in Illinois is .08.

Abela is next due in court March 16 and faces four to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most severe offense of his fifth DUI, but probation also is an option.

According to Kane County court records, Abela received two years of probation and was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service after DUI arrests in May 2012 and June 2014 in Elgin. In addition to $3,435 in court costs and fines, he also was sentenced to alcohol treatment and 120 days with an alcohol monitoring bracelet.

Abela failed to complete the terms of his probation, records show.

Abela posted $10,000 late Monday afternoon and was released from the Kane County jail.

Information about his other previous DUI arrests was not immediately available.