Aurora man could face prison after seventh DUI arrest

An Aurora man could face six to 30 years in prison after an aggravated DUI arrest Thursday -- his seventh.

John D. Slattery, 41, of the 3000 block of Winchester Court, also was charged with operating an uninsured motor vehicle, disobeying a traffic control device and driving on a revoked license during the traffic stop on Aurora's far east side.

Police said they picked up Slattery about 1:30 a.m. near Ogden Avenue and Eola Road. An officer was driving east on Ogden behind Slattery's 1994 Chevy Blazer and was waiting for a left-turn signal to turn north onto Eola.

Police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said the officer became suspicious when Slattery's vehicle remained stopped long enough for the traffic light to cycle back to red.

Slattery then turned left on red and cut off westbound traffic on Ogden Avenue, according to police reports.

Once inside the Aurora lockup, Slattery refused a Breathalyzer test, prompting police to secure a search warrant from a DuPage County judge for blood and urine samples.

Since 2006, state law allows a sixth or subsequent DUI conviction to be classified as a Class X felony. The felony carries the stiffest penalty, ranging from six to 30 years in prison.

Ferrelli said Slattery's arrest comes on the heels of a DUI crackdown that has seen almost a 92 percent jump in such arrests across Aurora since January. The city's 188 DUI arrests already tops last year's tally of 169.

"Taking drunk drivers off the streets really boils down to saving innocent lives," Ferrelli said. "And as is the case with all DUIs, we fortunately arrested this alleged offender before he could hurt or kill anyone."

Police Chief Gregory Thomas said police now are focusing more on traffic enforcement.

"A natural result of that heightened enforcement is DUI arrests, and I am confident these will continue throughout the year," Thomas said in a written statement.