Elgin woman charged with sixth DUI

An Elgin woman convicted five times for drunken driving was charged Monday with her sixth DUI after authorities say she ran a stop sign at an Elgin intersection and crashed into another vehicle.

Sandra Uher, of the 1200 block of Maroon Drive, and the driver of the other car were treated for non life-threatening injuries following the accident at about 11:30 a.m. Monday at the intersection of Shales Parkway and Summit Street, authorities said.

Officers responding to the scene noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Uher, who also exhibited glassy, watery eyes and slurred speech, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Cotter.

Uher failed a field sobriety test and registered .30 on a preliminary blood-alcohol test, Cotter said. The legal limit is .08. At the time of her arrest, she was driving on a revoked license, for which she also has a previous conviction, Cotter said.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Bridget Hughes set Uher’s bail at $100,000. She was released after posting $10,000.

The defendant’s background includes a 2005 DUI conviction for which she was sentenced to 18 months in prison. In 1999, Uher received two DUI convictions for separate offenses that occurred on the same day, Cotter said. She received supervision for drunken driving in July 1997 which became a conviction in May 1999, Cotter said. Her most recent drunken driving arrest occurred two years ago in Kane County.

If convicted, Uher could face between six and 30 years in prison. She next appears in court on April 21.