Former county jail chief pleads guilty to DUI

A former Kane County Sheriff's Department lieutenant and former head of the jail pleaded guilty Friday to a drunken driving incident last June.

Todd Exline, 47, of Aurora was placed on a year's probation, must attend a victim's impact panel, pay $1,530 in fines and complete 10 hours of counseling.

Exline, who was fired by a sheriff's disciplinary panel in March, declined to comment. But his attorney, David Camic, said the 26-year veteran wanted to put the incident behind him.

Camic said his client was never offered a Breathalyzer test, a silent video at the Geneva jail did not show him acting drunk and field sobriety tests were performed on an uneven surface.

"I would have liked to go forward (with a trial), but I can honestly, completely understand why Todd would want to put this behind him," Camic said. "It's physically and emotionally taxing."

Charles Colburn, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, said the sentence was typical for a first-time offender with no criminal record and no aggravating factors, such as injuries or property damage from the incident.

A motorist reported Exline's sport utility vehicle driving erratically. He was pulled over by Batavia police on June 29 where Route 25 transitions into Geneva. He was suspended without pay following the arrest.

Sheriff Pat Perez recommended the merit commission fire Exline, in part for his actions during the traffic stop and on-the-job conduct that the sheriff maintained portrayed the department in a bad light.