Four decades of DUIs land McHenry County man in prison

A McHenry County man who has compiled a record of at least one DUI arrest in each of the past four decades was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after being found guilty of violating DUI laws for the seventh time.

Jay A. Vopatek, 55, of Marengo, received the sentence as part of a plea bargain in which he admitted guilt to an aggravated driving under the influence charge filed after his vehicle slammed into a parked car on a Marengo street last year.

Police arrested him as he tried to walk away from the crash scene, Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Ryan Blackney said. Blood tests later showed that Vopatek had evidence of cocaine in his system at the time of the Sept. 19 crash.

"We're just thankful he didn't hurt anybody," Vopatek's attorney, Michael Barrett said.

According to court records, Vopatek's first DUI arrest occurred in 1973 in Cook County. Since then he's faced DUI charges in DuPage County in 1989 and 1993, Kane County in 1993, Sangamon County in 1995, Cook County again in 2001, and finally last year in McHenry County.

Although the latest arrest involved cocaine use, Barrett said most of Vopatek's prior DUI's involved alcohol.

Despite all his prior arrests, this is the first time Vopatek has been sent to prison for DUI.

"We believe a sentence in the Department of Corrections will serve as a deterrent to him and other repeat offenders," said Nichole Owens, criminal chief for the McHenry County State's Attorney's office. "Hopefully it's a wake-up call for him."