A Round Lake Beach man has been sentenced to six years in prison after being charged 26 times for driving on a revoked license, prosecutors said.
Steven Knutson, 62, of the 100 block of South Channel Drive in Round Lake Beach, has been convicted 25 out of the 26 times he was charged for driving on a revoked license. His record shows that 24 of the 26 revocation charges took place between 1982 and 2004.
On Monday, Knutson was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to his most recent charge in Round Lake Beach.
He was credited seven days for time served before he posted bail and he will spend two years on mandatory supervised release following his prison sentence.
A Round Lake Beach police officer witnessed Knutson hit a parked car around 4 p.m. March 11 in the 100 block of Rollins Road. The officer initiated a traffic stop and issued Knutson a citation for driving while his license was revoked, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
Village of Round Lake Beach attorneys later learned that the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office had revoked Knutson’s drivers license for life due to a previous charge of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol in 2010 and previous offenses of driving on a revoked license.
During the investigation, attorneys discovered Knutson received offenses of driving while his license was revoked 16 times in Cook County, four times in Winnebago County, three times in Lake County, and three times in Kane County.
“It’s a shame that it had to come to this point for Mr. Knutson to understand that driving is a privilege, not a right,” Nerheim said.
“I commend the Round Lake Beach Police, their village attorneys, and attorneys from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for doing what is necessary to ensure Mr. Knutson no longer gets behind the wheel of an automobile,” he added.
Knutson could have been sentenced 3-7 years if he was found guilty at trial, prosecutors said, adding that Knutson will have to pay $362 in restitution to the owner of the vehicle he hit in March.