Rantoul man gets 20 years for sixth DUI conviction
URBANA – Calling him a "very real danger to the public" a Champaign County judge Wednesday sentenced a Rantoul man with terminal cancer to 20 years in prison for his sixth driving under the influence conviction.
Judge Richard Klaus could have sentenced Douglas Sleight, 56, of the 300 block of North Maplewood Drive to 30 years in prison.
A jury convicted Sleight in June of driving under the influence of any amount of drugs because he admitted to police he had used crack cocaine the day before his Oct. 5, 2009, arrest on U.S. 136 near Arcadia Drive in Rantoul.
Rantoul police officer Kyle Donovan testified he stopped Sleight after Sleight made two left turns without signaling. Donovan said Sleight smelled of alcohol and performed marginally on field sobriety tests. A breath test done at the police station later revealed he had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.017 percent, well under the 0.08 percent for a motorist to be presumed intoxicated in Illinois. The jury acquitted Sleight of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Because of DUI convictions in 1974, 1982, 1986, 1994 and 1995, Sleight's latest conviction qualified him for sentencing as a Class X felon.
Assistant State's Attorney Chris Kanis called Sleight the "poster child for what drugs and substance abuse can do to a person's life" and said whatever sentence Sleight received should be enough to deter others from driving after drinking.
Given Sleight's health problems – he has been diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer and recently had brain and lung surgeries – Kanis argued for eight to 10 years.
Assistant Public Defender Lindsey Yanchus said any prison sentence amounts to a death sentence for Sleight and asked for the minimum of six years.
Sleight cried as he asked Klaus to "find it in your heart" to give him the minimum.
"I'll probably die in prison, but hopefully with the right therapy I'll be able to rehabilitate myself emotionally and mentally," he said.
But Klaus said Sleight had "repeatedly put the people of the state of Illinois in danger by his driving."
In addition to the prison sentence, Klaus fined Sleight $500.
This is so ridiculous. His last DUI was in 1995. Give the poor man a break. Some jail time yes - 20 years in prison??? A man with Terminal Cancer? He smoked Crack Cocaine the DAY BEFORE his arrest!!!! Like he was really high still?
Something is seriously wrong with the CJ system. Justice isn't blind here. Justice is stupid here.
Should the State of Illinois wait until he injures or even worse kills someone before they lock him up? He has been let off the hook 5 different times in his life. If this guy didnt have a terminal illness nobody would question it. Stage 4 cancer, 6 year minimum or 30 year maximum sentence will all end with the same result; you dying in prison. So the term is really insignificant
Our system needs to look at what other countries are doing. Our system needs the legislature to stop ejudicating. Once size fits most...chinese. This formula does not work. We need effective alcohol/drug rehabilitation at the first sign of trouble. We need to put humans before dollar signs for control of this substance and stop trivializing treatment of the issues that contribute to addition.
I hate to defend this guy, and maybe I am reading this wrong, but this guy was sentenced to 20 years for driving not drunk?? It is doubtful that the crack from the day before was still having any impact, and he was under the legal limit. And he made 2 turns without signaling....he was not driving dangerously. So we have sent a guy to prison for 20 years for not using his turn signal after having a reasoable amount to drink? Makes a lot of sense. Go to the State Police website and look at all of the sex offenders walking the streets. I guess we have to save room in our prisons for this dangerous car turner.
And I know crack is wrong...but 20 years wrong?
This is absolutely AMAZING, How was this man convicted of anything?? He smoked crack yesterday?? What does that have to do with today??, thats like saying I drank yesterday but I can get charged a DUI w/ no alcohol in my system today! UNBELIEVABLE So, according to fine folks of the jury, a kid who smoked pot last week can be charged with DUI today? Thats what this case says, it's a travesty of justice!
Granted the guy had a record of DUI, did he ever hurt anyone?? The guy was dying for gods sake, this kinda stuff happens in China.The judge could have put an ankle monitor and sent him home to die.This Klaus guy should be reported for abuse to the state and be dis-bared afaik.
Lets not forget, the majority of traffic fatalities are caused by sober people, in europe 12% of fatalities are caused by a driver who had been drinking, here we don't know due to the propogande spread by the N.H.T.S.A. and M.A.D.D. , I suspect its about the same possibly a little higher though the drinking age lower in Europe and they consume more alcohol per capita.
The N.H.T.S.A. fouled the whole thing up when it created the "alcohol-related" terminology, I.O.W. if my passenger was drunk and I killed someone while driving that fatality is alcohol related even though I (the driver) was sober, go figure.
At a time when we are supposed to be tightening our fiscal purse strings, this judge is giving what is tantamount to a life sentenence to a dying man who actually comitted no crime!! UNREAL!!
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