10 DUI Convictions For Joliet Man: Sentencing Nears

JOLIET, IL — Most people arrested and convicted of drunken driving change their ways and never become repeat offenders. But Joliet resident Ronald Meimers is in a league of his own when it comes to racking up drunken driving convictions. He now has 10 DUI convictions.

Joliet Patch learned that the 57-year-old resident of the 2300 block of White Birch Lane recently pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence, a Class X felony. In exchange, a second identical charge was dropped by the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow.

At his Jan. 13 sentencing at the new Will County Courthouse, Meimers faces either six to 30 years of imprisonment or six to 60 years prison, according to the state's attorney's office. There is a dispute involving the lawyers on the penalty range for Meimers' Class X felony, and the judge will have to decide the punishment, prosecutors officials told Patch last week.

Meimers is being represented by attorney Amy Christiansen of the Will County Public Defender's Office. Will County Circuit Judge Vincent Cornelius is the sentencing judge.

Regardless of the sentence, next month's prison sendoff for the 10-DUI offender won't be Meimers' first.

At 44, Meimers was also convicted of the same offense, aggravated driving under the influence, a Class X felony, in the summer of 2007. Meimers was sentenced to 102 months at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Meimers, who lived in Wilmington at that time and arrested by Wilmington police on Jan. 4, 2006, also drew good-time credit for spending 373 days in the Will County Jail awaiting trial. Meimers was eventually released by the Illinois Department of Corrections in late November 2012, court files show.

The Illinois State Police arrest that led to Meimers' 10th DUI conviction occurred during the late hours of April 13, 2019 as he was driving his silver Hyundai along the southbound stretch of Interstate 55 near milepost 261 in Plainfield, the criminal complaint states.

Meimers was booked into the Will County Jail around 6:30 a.m. on April 14, 2019, and he has lived there ever since.

His bail has remained at $1 million throughout the past 20 months.

According to his 2019 complaint, Meimers' prior DUIs occurred on the following dates:

• January 4, 2006 in Will County
• September 8, 2004 in Will County
• August 8, 1996 in Will County
• February 28, 1996 in Kane County
• October 5, 1993 in DuPage County
• June 12, 1991 in Cook County
• July 21, 1987 in DuPage County
• November 24, 1986 in Will County
• May 14, 1985 in DuPage County