Elgin drunken driver gets 5 years
A repeat drunken driver from Elgin who authorities said was driving with a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit recently was sentenced to five years in prison by a Kane County judge.
Holly M. Deihs, 34, of the 500 block of South State Street, was sentenced by Judge Marmarie Kostelny after pleading guilty to a fourth DUI, according to court records.
She was arrested March 17 in a St. Patrick’s Day “No Refusal” event coordinated by the Kane County state’s attorney’s office in which prosecutors fan out to police stations and work with an on-call judge to get search warrants for motorists who are arrested on charges of DUI but refuse to give breath or blood samples.
Deihs was charged with several felonies, including the most serious charge of aggravated DUI, which carried a prison term of between three and seven years, court records indicate.
According to an Illinois State Police report, Deihs stumbled from her car the night of the arrest, admitted drinking, said she was “too drunk to drive” and registered a .31 on a breath test. A level of .08 or above is considered intoxicated under state law.
She also was charged with driving while license revoked for at least the fourth time.
While out on bond for the March arrest, Deihs was arrested Sept. 13 by Elgin police and charged with felony aggravated DUI after a traffic stop near Dundee Avenue and Kimball Street.
She also was cited for driving without insurance, transportation of open alcohol, making an improper turn and disobeying a traffic control device, records show.
The charges from September were dismissed as part of her guilty plea for the March case, records show.
She also was fined $5,670 and given credit for 92 days spent in jail while her cases were pending.
Under state law, Deihs can have her sentenced halved for good behavior while in prison.
Businesses pass Aurora check: Aurora police conducted random checks Dec. 11 at eight businesses to test their compliance with alcohol and tobacco laws.
All eight businesses declined to sell tobacco to people younger than 18. But two of eight sold alcohol to someone younger than 21.
The businesses, police said, are: Angelina’s Food and Beer, 2218 Ogden Ave.; and Liquor Lane, 2178 Ogden Ave.
A clerk at each business was issued a notice to appear in court, police said.
hhitzeman@dailyherald.com