Valerie S. Whitlow, 63, of Johnsburg.

A Johnsburg woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison after she was convicted in her sixth driving under the influence case where she crashed into a pole in McHenry.

Valerie S. Whitlow, 63, of Johnsburg, was charged in March 2022 with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence sixth or subsequent offense, a Class X felony.

The charges stem from a single-vehicle crash that the McHenry Police Department responded to around 1:20 a.m. on January 29, 2022.

Prosecutors said the driver was identified as Whitlow. She had struck a pole in the 3000 block of Lincoln Road in McHenry.

Whitlow was bleeding from her face following the crash. She reported consuming a bottle of wine prior to driving, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Whitlow showed signs of impairment on field sobriety tests.

She was arrested and provided a breath sample which showed a 0.209 blood alcohol concentration, which is two and a half times the legal limit.

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Whitlow had five prior driving under the influence violations between 1983 and 2002, making it her sixth offense which is a Class X felony that carries six to 30 years in prison.

Whitlow last month pleaded guilty to an amended count of aggravated driving under the influence fifth offense, a Class 1 felony, in exchange for her more serious charges being dismissed.

The negotiated plea agreement was accepted by McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt.

The judge sentenced Whitlow to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the negotiation.

Whitlow additionally was fined $5,000 and ordered to make a $100 donation to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said after sentencing that the McHenry Police Department and Assistant State’s Attorneys Joseph Tarczon and Kevin Chrzanowski performed “excellent work” on the case.

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“Driving under the influence is not only illegal, but extremely dangerous. The McHenry County State’s Attorney will continue to prosecute offenders in an effort to keep our roads safe,” the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement.