Woman Sentenced To 13 Years After Pleading Guilty To 6th DUI
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A woman was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to her fifth and sixth charges of DUI in northwest suburban Elgin.
Cheri L. Bookman, 48, who is homeless, pleaded guilty to Associate Judge David Kliment to two counts of aggravated DUI, one a Class X felony and one a Class 1 felony, according to a statement from the Kane County state's attorney's office.
On Jan. 4, 2015, Bookman crashed her vehicle into another vehicle in the 1500 block of Mark Avenue in Elgin and the driver of the other vehicle noticed that she seemed intoxicated, prosecutors said. She then left the scene and the other driver called 911.
When Bookman was later approached by Elgin police at a home where she was staying she was drinking vodka and admitted that she had been drinking vodka all day, prosecutors said.
The other driver identified Bookman and she was subsequently charged with DUI, prosecutors said. She was released on bond after serving one day in jail.
On Aug. 2, 2015, officers spotted Bookman driving the wrong way on Chicago Street, a one-way street, prosecutors said. When she was stopped, the officer smelled alcohol on her breath.
When the officer returned to his vehicle in an effort to get more information on Bookman, she sped away and eventually crashed into a guardrail at Chicago and State streets, prosecutors said. She then crawled through the passenger-side window and ran into a wooded area.
The officers found her and she was charged with DUI, prosecutors said. Her blood-alcohol content was .247.
Bookman's four prior DUI charges were in twice in 2001, once in 2002 and once in 2008 in Jefferson and Cook counties, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said she is eligible for day-for-day sentencing and receives credit for at least 172 days served in the Kane County Jail, where she had been held on a $75,000 bond.
On June 18, 2014, Bookman was charged with prostitution, a Class A misdemeanor, the Chicago Sun-Times previously reported.
Members of the Elgin Police Department Special Investigations Division conducted an undercover operation in the area of Grove Street and National Street in Elgin, in response to several citizen complaints of prostitution occurring in the area, authorities said. During the course of the two-hour operation, undercover officers had contact with three subjects, one of whom was Bookman, who offered a sexual act in exchange for money.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)