Elgin man charged with 3rd DUI, injuring woman in crash
A 53-year-old man was charged with his third DUI after police say he rear-ended another vehicle Tuesday night near Elgin, injuring its driver.
Lou Southivongnorrath, of the 900 block of Houston Avenue, Elgin, faces charges of aggravated DUI, aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, driving with a suspended license, DUI, and other traffic offenses, according to Kane County court records and the sheriff's office.
Kane County Undersheriff Pat Gengler said deputies responded at 6:30 p.m. to a crash at Route 25 and Courier Avenue in St. Charles Township.
A woman in a GMC stopped on Route 25 and waiting to turn onto Courier Avenue was rear-ended by a vehicle driven by Southivongnorrath and the woman was taken to an area hospital for her injuries, which were not life-threatening, Gengler said.
Southivongnorrath failed a field sobriety test. Deputies also found several open cans of beer in his vehicle, Gengler said.
Southivongnorrath also was charged with illegal transportation of alcohol and driving too fast for conditions in Tuesday's crash, records show.
According to Kane County court records, Southivongnorrath also was wanted on a failure to appear warrant after he missed a Sept. 5, 2019, court date for a November 2017 DUI arrest in Elgin.
In that case, police responded to a crash of Southivongnorrath's 200 black Acura near Villa and Liberty streets in Elgin, court records show. He admitted to drinking, had slurred speech and a breath test later showed his blood-alcohol concentration to be .18; the legal threshold in Illinois is .08.
He also was cited for no insurance, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving too fast for conditions, records show.
Southivongnorrath also was arrested in May 2018 for driving with a suspended license in East Dundee, records show. He pleaded guilty in July 2018, but hasn't paid his $350 fine, records show. Information about his first DUI arrest was not immediately available.
Southivongnorrath is being held at the Kane County jail on $15,750 bail, meaning he must post $1,575 to be released while the case is pending.
He is next due in court on Jan. 24 and if convicted of the most severe charge of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to up to 10 years in prison.