24-time offender sentenced to 6 years in prison

A Round Lake Beach man was sentenced Monday to six years in prison after his 24th conviction on a charge of driving on a revoked license.

Steve Knutson, 62, of the 100 block of South Channel Drive, must serve at least half the sentence, handed down as part of a plea agreement. Knutson faced three years to seven years in prison if found guilty after a trial.

"It's a shame that it had to come to this point for Mr. Knutson to understand that driving is a privilege, not a right," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said in a written statement. "I commend the Round Lake Beach police, their village attorneys, and attorneys from the Lake County state's attorney's office for doing what is necessary to ensure Mr. Knutson no longer gets behind the wheel of an automobile."

Knutson's latest conviction stems from a traffic stop in March, after a Round Lake Beach police officer saw his Chevrolet pickup truck hit a parked vehicle.

Knutson initially was cited for driving without a license, but Round Lake Beach village attorneys later discovered the secretary of state's office had permanently revoked his driver's license in 2010 after he was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and other offenses.

Attorneys also discovered Knutson had been cited for driving with a revoked license 16 times in Cook County, four times in Winnebago County, and three times each in Kane and Lake counties. Of the 26 cases, Knutson was convicted 24 times. The large majority of those cases - 24 of the 26 - occurred from 1982 to 2004.

In addition to the prison time, Knutson was ordered to pay $362 to the owner of the parked car he hit in March. Knutson also received seven days credit for time he served in the Lake County jail before pleading guilty.