Aurora woman faces fourth DUI charge

An Aurora woman has been charged with her fourth overall DUI arrest, a felony that could send her to prison.

Eileen T. Fanella, 55, of the 1400 block of Colorado Avenue, was indicted last week by a Kane County grand jury as part of an ongoing effort by state's attorney Joe McMahon's office to upgrade DUI charges as more information about a defendant's driving record comes to light.

Fanella was arrested Feb. 27 after a crash. The grand jury indictment charges her with aggravated DUI/4th offense, a felony that carries a sentence ranging from three to up to seven years in prison, according to Kane County court records.

She also is charged with two lesser felony counts of aggravated DUI, records show, along with no insurance, driving without a license, driving while license suspended and driving too fast for conditions.

A North Aurora police officer responded at 8:32 p.m. to the area of South River and South Grant streets for a property damage report involving Fanella's 2000 green Oldsmobile Intrigue, according to court records.

Fanella smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and admitted drinking two to three glasses of wine, according to the officer's sworn report.

She refused field sobriety tests, but a chemical test showed her blood-alcohol concentration to be .218, according to the report.

The legal threshold in Illinois is .08.

Additional information about Fanella's previous three DUI cases was not immediately available. She is free on bond and next due in court Aug. 18.