EDWARDSVILLE — A Madison County Jury has convicted a 58-year-old man on a Class X Felony DUI charge following a two-day jury trial in Edwardsville.
Carl E. Bettorf (d.o.b. 05/15/58) was facing an Aggravated Driving Under the Influence (Class X felony) charge filed following his arrest on November 28, 2009. Bettorf, a resident of Edwardsville, had been convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol on five prior occasions.
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Jury selection began Monday, September 12, 2016, at the Madison County Criminal Justice Center in Edwardsville. Attorneys gave opening statements and began presenting evidence Tuesday morning. During the trial, jurors heard evidence presented by Assistant State’s Attorney’s Jim Buckley and Tara Steele who prosecuted the case in front of Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli.
After both sides rested their cases, Judge Tognarelli turned the case over to jurors, who began deliberations Tuesday afternoon. Deliberations continued Wednesday morning, with the jury announcing their guilty verdict around 1p.m. today.
State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons expressed his appreciation to the jurors for their verdict, saying “I want to thank the jurors for their perseverance and dedication to justice for our community. We fought for a very long time to get this case to a jury trial. Despite all the Defendant’s efforts to delay and derail this case, with this unanimous decision by the twelve jurors, we have finally secured justice for the citizens of Madison County.”
Gibbons also praised the work of the Illinois State Trooper who conducted the stop and arrest, as well as his staff who worked on the case. “It takes a whole team of dedicated professionals working from start to finish to get the job done, and I want to extend my thanks to Trooper Dannenbrink, Assistant State’s Attorneys Tara Steele and Jim Buckley, and all the members of the support staff who worked so hard to bring this case to trial.”
Maximum penalty range for a Class X Felony is 6-30 years. Bettorf will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Tognarelli following the completion of a pre-sentencing investigation, which usually takes 4-6 weeks.
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