The License Clock Starts the Day of Your Arrest
A New Lenox DUI sets two clocks running at once. The criminal case is one. The other is the Statutory Summary Suspension — an automatic license suspension that takes effect on the 46th day after arrest, regardless of how the criminal case turns out. You have a strict, limited window to petition to challenge it, with the hearing held at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. Missing that window is the most common avoidable mistake people make after a DUI.
Where Your New Lenox DUI Is Heard
New Lenox is in Will County, so your DUI is heard at the Will County Courthouse, 100 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, in the 12th Judicial Circuit — about fifteen minutes from town. As a former Will County prosecutor, this is the courthouse where I work and where I know the people who will handle your case.
I-80 and Route 30 Stops — and Who Stopped You
New Lenox DUI arrests cluster on two corridors: I-80, along the northern edge of town, where Illinois State Police enforcement is constant, and Route 30 (Lincoln Highway), where the New Lenox Police Department and Will County Sheriff patrol. Where you were stopped and which agency stopped you can shape the case — an ISP interstate arrest and a local Route 30 stop produce different paperwork and different witnesses. In every one, the defense starts the same way: scrutinizing the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the breath or blood evidence for the procedural gaps that win cases.
First Offense, Felony, and Aggravated DUI
A first DUI is generally a Class A misdemeanor, and court supervision that avoids a conviction is often possible for first offenders — but it is never automatic. A DUI is charged as a felony (aggravated DUI) for a third or later offense, driving on a suspended or revoked license, no valid license or insurance, a child passenger, or an accident causing injury. (See DUI Defense and License Reinstatement.)
The Former-Prosecutor Advantage
I prosecuted DUI cases before I defended them, so I know exactly what the State relies on and where that evidence tends to fail. For a New Lenox driver whose job, commute, or professional license depends on getting this right, that perspective is the difference between hoping for a good outcome and engineering one. If your arrest carries criminal charges beyond the DUI, see my criminal defense page.
Talk to a New Lenox DUI Lawyer Today
Act before the suspension takes effect and while the evidence is fresh. Consultations are free, from my downtown Joliet office near the courthouse where your case will be heard.
Call 815-740-4025 for a free consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available.