From the State’s Attorney:
MCHENRY COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY SECURES DETENTION OF ALLEGED SIX-TIME DUI OFFENDER WITH NINE-MONTH-OLD PASSENGER
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese announced today that the Honorable Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the State’s petition to deny pretrial release for Ramiro A. Sanchez, 33, of Woodstock, Illinois, following his initial court appearance on May 12, 2026. Sanchez is charged with
- two counts of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence (Class X and
- Class 4 felonies) and
- one count of Endangering the Life or Health of a Child (Class A misdemeanor),
stemming from a traffic-stop that occurred on May 11, 2026.
According to the evidence presented in court, a Woodstock Police Department officer initiated a traffic stop after observing the defendant operating a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt.
While speaking with the officer, the driver, later identified as Sanchez, struggled to answer basic identification questions.
When asked why by the officer, Sanchez allegedly stated he was “I’m (expletive) wasted”.
Sanchez failed to successfully perform the standard field sobriety tests and exhibited multiple physical signs of impairment.
During the stop, the officer also observed an open “tall-boy” can of alcohol inside the vehicle.
Officers also discovered that the Sanchez’s 9-month-old daughter was inside the vehicle at the time of the stop.
It is also alleged that Sanchez has been convicted on five prior occasions for driving under the influence of alcohol: four in Colorado, with the first in 2014, two in 2015, one in 2016, and one in Dekalb County, Illinois in 2020.
“This man’s decision to drive while intoxicated for a sixth time showed a complete disregard for the law, the safety of the public, and even the life of his own child.
“Every impaired driver is a danger, but when someone chooses to get behind the wheel allegedly admitting to being ‘wasted’ with a 9-month-old child in the vehicle, the risk of tragedy becomes unbearable.
“We are grateful the Court granted our petition to detain this defendant pending trial, and our office will continue aggressively prosecuting repeat DUI offenders before more innocent lives are put at risk.”
Sanchez remains in custody pending further proceedings. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 26, 2026, in Courtroom 302.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial, at which the State bears the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
