Spring Grove man with 8 DUIs sentenced to 8 years in prison

A Spring Grove man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to drunken driving for an eighth time.

Mark E. Friske, 64, entered into a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, court records show. The Class X felony carries a prison term of up to 30 years.

In exchange for his plea Thursday, additional counts of DUI and aggravated DUI on a suspended or revoked license were dismissed, according to McHenry County court documents.

He is required to serve half of his prison sentence and will receive credit for 192 days served in the county jail since his arrest. He also will receive credit for an additional 42 days, half of each day he spent participating in self-improvement, work or volunteering while in custody, according to a sentencing order signed by Judge Michael Coppedge.

When released from prison, Friske will be on mandatory supervised release for 18 months.

In sentencing Friske, Coppedge found that the offense was committed as the result of the use of, abuse of or addiction to alcohol or controlled substances and recommended Friske be placed in a substance abuse program while incarcerated.

On or about Jan. 7, Friske was driving an uninsured 1999 Ford pickup truck near the area of Route 31 and Dakota Drive under the influence of alcohol and an “other drug or drugs or intoxicating compound to a degree that rendered [the] defendant incapable of safely driving,” according to the indictment and complaints filed by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

He was pulled over by police after allegedly crossing over the center line “several times,” according to the complaint.

He also refused to submit to a breath test when he was pulled over, according to the complaint.

“He stated he had too much to drink,” the officer wrote in the complaint, adding that Friske’s eyes were bloodshot and he smelled of alcohol. Friske also told the arresting officer that he had “just left the bar” and “had several drinks,” the officer wrote.

Friske had seven past violations of DUI dating back to 1985, according to the indictment.

In 1985, he was convicted of DUI in McHenry County three times, once in 1989 in Cook County, and twice in 1990 and once in 1993 in McHenry County. Friske also has 13 previous convictions for driving with a revoked or suspended license, according to the indictment.

At a hearing last month, Friske petitioned for – and was denied – pretrial release from the jail under the new SAFE-T Act, which banned the use of cash bond in Illinois circuit courts. In denying Friske’s release, Judge James Cowlin noted in his ruling that Friske “admitted” to the officer during his arrest that he was driving illegally.

The judge also said Friske had made statements such as, “You got me,” indicating he knew he shouldn’t be behind the wheel.

“The defendant was driving a vehicle without any right or privilege to do so,” according to the ruling. “The defendant’s release would result in a danger to the community because there is nothing to show that he will not get back behind the wheel upon release.”