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Pre-sentencing

Interview with Sam, Ron, Scott, Michael and Bruce

JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process:
Sam: You go and talk to a probation officer and fill out a booklet and you are allowed to write a letter to the judge.
Ron: I was arrested and thrown into felony holding where i stayed for close to 24 hours before finally being processed. After processing I was placed on R pod (psych unit basically). I spent a month there before my buddy bonded me outwhich I didnt have)
Scott: Judge gave the arresting officer a warrant to take a blood sample because I refused when initially arrested. The blood draw showed I was legally drunk to operate a motor vehicle after being escorted to the hospital by arresting officers. Went to court about once a month to hear my charges and determine my plea.
Michael: I had obtained an outside lawyer (free legal help) who contacted the public defenders office and my public defender to allow that i plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving for one of my D.U.I. charges because of the circumstances around that arrest (wasn't actually driving, but was sleeping in the drivers seat with the car running). I decided to have a bench trial instead of a jury trial.
Bruce: i was never sentenced i was arrested and did not make bail. my family would not bail me due to the fact that i was using drugs. they held me in side of a bull pen waiting on my bond hearing to come up. they would not talk to me when i asked questions

JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested.
Sam: NO police did not stop by.
Ron: No. I was arrested during a traffic stop for DUI, 4 counts of paraphernalia, and a class 4 felony possession of narcotics (had about a half ounce of coke on me).
Scott: I was driving my car on Butterfield Road in Oakbrook, IL when police stopped me for suspicion of Driving Under The influence. I resisted arrest and the police officer peeper sprayed me and later put me in handcuffs and seated my in the police vehicle. never stopped by my house just impounded my car which was difficult to recover with all the charges.
Michael: No, the first arrest was at approx. 2 am in the morning on my way home from being out listening to an Irish band at a pub, i turned on to an on-ramp to a larger road and was going to fast and that caught the eye of a sitting police officer and i was pulled over, i failed the roadside test, and was arrested, i took the breathalyzer at the jail and i was not within the legal limit so i was charged with D.U.I.. Thirty seven days later and five days before my driving privileges were to be suspended because of the D.U.I. just mentioned i was awakened sleeping in my car at 8:00am waiting to go into work. I was early to work so i stopped and kept my car running to keep the heater on because it was the middle of winter, and i fell asleep, i was asked if i was drinking, i said no, but i was the night before, and that was enough to get me arrested as it didn't seem i was safe enough to be driving yet. I was charged with a second D.U.I. that was reduced to a reckless driving charge, based on the fact that i was not driving, but was still in control of the vehicle because the key was in the ignition and the motor running. I did not take a breathalyzer exam for this arrest.
Bruce: I was in the westside of chicago and it was new years eve 2010 i was driving home on 290 after i picked up herion. the elmhurst police pulled me over with 6 to 8 other squad car in the middle of 290 roosvelt they jumped out of there cars and flooed mt car screeming and yelling at me to get out of the car

JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall.
Sam: My court appearance was alright just like court nervous.
Ron: It was a joke. I was placed in front of a tv and the judge on the tv read my case and set my bond at 25000 which means I needed 2500 to walk (which I didn't have).
Scott: From the main jail to the courthouse you take a underground pathway to court. Before your case is being heard they put you in a isolated holding cell outside the courtroom. You have no direct contact with your lawyer beforehand. When your case is called a officer comes escort you to court. Your patted own before entering the cell area.
Michael: Because i had two cases at the same time the judge needed to know the verdict & sentence of one (reckless driving) before ruling on the other, so it was a lot of time to go to each court date, enter a plea, and go back for the sentencing. I am always surprised at how many people are in court and how many cases the system has to deal with. I managed to make all my court dates on time and my public defenders were very professional and cooperative with my outside legal help.
Bruce: when i went to my bond hearing it was very quick and unclear to as of what was going on i was only 18 it was a very long wait too in a cell with nothing in besides a toilet and then when you got called out for court it was the only nice thing was to see the outside with real people in the the worl and then it was over so quick then you waited to get back to your cell and when you went to court you got a sacked lunch

JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of?
Scott: Aggravated Driving Under The Influence - Resisting Arrest
Michael: Two charges of D.U.I., two separate arrests. I ended up being convicted of one charge of D.U.I. and one charge of reckless driving.
Bruce: first charge was improper lane use so the could pull me over then second was a class 4 possession of controlled subtance

Read about sentencing in the DuPage County Jail