6th DUI For Channahon Man, Monster Energy Drink With Alcohol Found In Pickup: Police

CHANNAHON, IL — A 50-year-old Channahon man will remain in the Will County Jail for an indefinite period of time as he awaits trial for his latest criminal charges involving drinking and driving. The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow filed a criminal complaint last week against James Wissig, charging him with aggravated driving under the influence, a Class X felony and aggravated driving under the influence, a Class 4 felony.

The complaint noted this marks the sixth DUI for the Channahon resident, who comes from the 24500 block of South St. Peters Drive. The Illinois State Police were responsible for making the arrest. Court files indicate that Wissig was driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages on May 30 as he operated a red Dodge Dakota pickup truck along Interstate 55 in Romeoville.

According to the prosecution's successful petition to deny pretrial release, Illinois State Trooper Eric Kuchta was on patrol at I-55 near mile marker 64 on Friday night, May 30, when he spotted the red Dodge Dakota pickup truck driving erratically in the middle lane. The truck veered into other lanes and the Trooper made a traffic stop. Wissig informed the Illinois State Police that his license was suspended, and the trooper learned it was DUI-related, according to prosecutors.

Wissig explained he was working at McCormick Place in Chicago and was trying to get home before having to return the next day at 5 a.m. The trooper noticed a strong odor of alcohol, glassy eyes and slurred speech, the court files noted.

A partially consumed Monster Energy drink — the with-alcohol version, was in the center console, and Wissig agreed to perform the field sobriety tests. Afterward, Wissig declined to undergo a breath test, prosecutors outlined.

At the Romeoville police station, Wissig refused to undergo breath tests, and the Illinois State Police put him under arrest for DUI.

"The defendant has five prior findings of guilty for DUI as alleged in the first count of the complaint. He is also revoked for DUI," prosecutors spelled out.

Last Nov. 25, Wissig was sentenced in Cook County to 24 months of probation for a felony DUI. In November 2023, he was sentenced in LaSalle County to 24 months of conditional discharge and 180 days in jail for a 2022 DUI case.

"Secondly, without intending to overstate the importance of the following additional evidence, we do note that the defendant has been acquitted of two other DUI charges, which may well be relevant to the extent of this defendant's self-control limitation," the state's attorney petition indicated.

The most recent not-guilty DUI verdict came from a 2019 aggravated DUI arrest that went to a bench trial in 2021 before a judge in Cook County. The other not-guilty verdict for Wissig was back in 1997.