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Sandra Uher, 54, of Elgin was sentenced to eight years in prison and $6,950 in fines after she showed up intoxicated for a hearing on her sixth DUI. The preliminary findings for the most current DUI show that Uher had a blood-alcohol level of .30 percent.

On March 28 of this year, she ran a stop sign in Elgin and crashed into another car. The court could have sentenced her to up to 30 years in prison because of the previous convictions. Before eligible for parole, Uher is required to complete at least 50 percent of her sentence. In court, Uher maintained that she has an addiction and is doing her best to deal with it.

Elgin woman gets 8 years for sixth DUI, www.dailyherald.com, June 30, 2011

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Kristine Alajoki of Algonquin allegedly drove her car over a berm at the intersection of West Algonquin Road and Frank Road. The vehicle went airborne into a retention pond in the early hours of Sunday morning. When emergency crews arrived, the 44 year-old woman was on the shore of the pond while the 2003 Jeep Liberty SUV was submerged 20 feet underwater.

Alajoki was alone in the vehicle at the time of the accident. It is not clear how she escaped the vehicle, but officers believe she got out through the back hatch. When police finally pulled the SUV from the water after 4 hours, only the hatch was open. Alajoki’s charges include DUI, driving without insurance and improper lane usage.

Woman drives SUV into Algonquin pond, www.dailyherald.com, June 28, 2011

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Martin Candia, 31, was driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.095 when the parked SUV he crashed into pinned a 10-year-old boy between two vehicles. The boy, Calvin Santos, died later that morning.

Candia plead guilty to one count of aggravated DUI involving a death and was sentenced to 7 years in prison as a result of the May 2010 crash.

The boys father, Bulmaro Santos, wrote in an victim impact statement that since his son was killed, he has be tormented of thoughts of “what if.” Calvin was an energetic and respectful boy who enjoyed sports and dreamed of being an FBI agent because he wanted to “protect people.”

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The Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding motorist to drive sober this Fourth of July weekend.

In an effort to ensure safe roadways and prevent DUI, the Illinois State Police along with over 300 local police and sheriff departments are conducting roadside safety checks as well as nighttime safety belt enforcement zones. Additionally, patrols will be on alert for impaired drivers and seat belt violators.

In 2009, there were 319 deaths in crashes involving an impaired driver. Last July 4th weekend, seven people lost their lives due to a drunk driver. The total financial cost associated with driving under the influence can be extremely high, along with possible jail time and the suspension and/or revocation of your driver’s license.

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Lidia Zuradzka, of Wheeling, was arrested on June 13 in Northbrook, Illinois for driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and three counts of endangering the life of a child. Zuradzka was working as a nanny at the time and had three kids in the car. Police say she collided with another vehicle and left the scene of the minor accident. There were no injuries reported.

According to the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Zuradzka had previously been sentenced to one-year in jail in 2006 after she was convicted of criminal trespassing. She served four months and was released this past March and placed on parole.

Nanny Charged With DUI, Child Endangerment, www.northbrook.patch.com, June 20, 2011

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A recent study released by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) lists Rockford with 727 DUI arrests, the highest number of any Illinois city in 2010, outside of Chicago. Rockford was followed by Naperville with 671 drunk driving arrests and Elgin with 410 arrests. The top three were closely followed by Waukegan, Carol Stream, Elmhurst, and Aurora.

The study provides an insight into the police enforcement in each of these areas. The Executive Director of AAIM stated, “There are several individuals making more DUI arrests per year than many entire police departments in Illinois.”

The study shows a drop in Chicago DUI arrests from 4,341 in 2009 to 3,695 in 2010. Illinois State Police DUI arrests increased from 9,996 in 2009 to 10,734 in 2010.

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Drew Forquer, a former dentist, was arrested for his fifth DUI in August of 2008. He was involved in a crash that resulted in the death of Jeff Bondy, 47. Bondy was driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle and fell victim to Forquer’s wide left turn. Forquer attempted to back off of Bondy, but was unable to move his car. While Forquer allegedly admitted to drinking two beers prior to driving, he told the police officer that the motorcycle had hit his car.

A Breathalyzer test was given to Forquer almost four hours after the wreck and registered a .045 percent. This Breathalyzer test has become the point of contention between the prosecution and defense attorneys. While the prosecution’s witness estimates Forquer’s BAC to have been between .084 and .123 percent at the time of the crash, the defense’s expert witness claims that, because of Forquer’s liver disease and alcoholism, his metabolism would be slowed, and his BAC would have been slightly below the legal limit.

Forquer’s defense attorney asked the judge at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building to aquit Forquer due to the immense amount of variables that can create an inaccurate BAC in cases such as this. This motion was denied.

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Paul Woodard walked into court with his public defender with hopes that his $20,000 bail would be reduced to $10,000. However, Assistant States Attorney Andrew Whitfield told a Kane County Judge about Woodward’s 25 previous driving on revoked charges, seeking to increase his bond to $150,000.

Judge Kostelny instead raised his bond to $75,000. Whitfield argued that the only way to protect the public would be to raise Woodard’s bond to keep him off the street.

Woodard was charged with aggravated DUI and aggravated driving with a revoked license. After officers tried to stop Woodward for driving 44 mph in a 30 mph zone, Woodard pulled into a driveway and allegedly attempted to flee on foot but was eventually caught. Due to his previous convictions, Woodard is facing a Class 2 felony. If convicted, Woodward’s previous drug and other felony convictions could result in an extended sentence on the new charges.

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Rodney Jones, 39, may have made it from Des Plaines to the Magnificent Mile on his Motorcycle in seven minutes if he hadn’t been stopped by Illinois State Trooper Jason Heinzl.

Jones is the fastest speeding ticket ever recorded in the Chicago area and possibly in the State of Illinois. Jones received a citation for going 182 mph in 55 mph zone with “moderate” traffic. Heinzl was in dismay when he looked at the radar but even more surprised that Jones had stopped when he pulled him over.

When asked why he didn’t run, Jones responded, “I wasn’t in the mood to run. If I’d wanted to run, I’d have run.”

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Illinois State Trooper Jason Heinzl has been on the force for 12 years and has issued more speeding tickets than any other State Trooper. His total is an astonishing 5,005 tickets. He has issued several speeding tickets to drivers going 5 mph or less over the speed limit, but also is given credit for ticketing a motorcyclist who was driving 182 mph, the fastest motorist ever caught in Illinois. Cars going over 80 mph and trucks exceeding 70 mph are the main focus of the tickets issued by State Trooper Heinzl.

Some tips to avoid a speeding ticket are being extra vigilant on Saturdays and Sundays, during morning rush hour, and between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. These days and hours are primetime for police to stop and ticket drivers. Holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are peak times as well.

Illinois’ Ticketmaster: State trooper has written more than 5,000 tickets, www.suntimes.com, June 11, 2011