Waukegan man gets prison for 11th driving without license arrest

A Waukegan man was sentenced to two years in prison Friday after his 11th conviction for driving with a revoked license.

The 12th such charge brought against Benito Zavala, 38, was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Reginald Matthews said Zavala, of the 2200 block of Pearsall Park Parkway, was stopped in traffic by Lake Villa police on Sept. 28.

The officer discovered Zavala's driver's license was revoked Jan. 7, 1999, following his conviction for driving without a license. In the years that followed, Matthews said, Zavala was convicted 10 times for driving without a license but had never been sentenced to prison.

While free on bond from his Sept. 28 arrest, Zavala was stopped by Libertyville police March 12 and again was arrested on charges of driving on a revoked license.

Matthews said police received a tip from Lake County Crime Stoppers that Zavala would be in the area and had no driver's valid license.

At the time of his arrests, Zavala was on probation for a 2005 conviction for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver.