People v. Roberson

2026 IL App (5th) 241271-U
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided February 23, 2026·No. 5-24-1271·Unpublished

Opinion

NOTICE 2026 IL App (5th) 241271-U NOTICE Decision filed 02/23/26. The This order was filed under text of this decision may be NO. 5-24-1271 Supreme Court Rule 23 and is changed or corrected prior to not precedent except in the the filing of a Petition for IN THE limited circumstances allowed Rehearing or the disposition of under Rule 23(e)(1). the same. APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

FIFTH DISTRICT ______________________________________________________________________________

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Montgomery County. ) v. ) No. 23-CF-123 ) DOUGLAS C. ROBERSON, ) Honorable ) Christopher W. Matoush, Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, presiding. ______________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE BOIE delivered the judgment of the court. Justices Moore and McHaney concurred in the judgment. *

ORDER

¶1 Held: We affirm this matter finding no plain error where the trial court properly determined the defendant’s current and prior driver’s license revocations were based upon a conviction of driving under the influence when imposing a felony sentence.

¶2 The defendant, Douglas C. Roberson, was convicted of one count of driving with a revoked

driver’s license after a bench trial. The defendant was sentenced to a term of three years’

incarceration in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), with a six-month term of

mandatory supervised release (MSR). The defendant appeals his sentence, arguing that the

evidence at the sentencing hearing did not show that the defendant’s current and prior driver’s

* Justice Moore fully participated in the decision prior to his retirement. See Cirro Wrecking Co. v. Roppolo, 153 Ill. 2d 6 (1992). 1 license revocations had been based on driving under the influence (DUI) convictions, and

therefore, the trial court’s imposition of a felony sentence was plain error. For the reasons that

follow, we affirm.

¶3 I. BACKGROUND

¶4 We recite only those facts relevant to the dispositive issue on appeal. The defendant was

charged by information on April 10, 2023, with one count of driving while driver’s license is

suspended or revoked (DWLR), a Class 4 felony, in violation of section 6-303(d-3) of the Illinois

Vehicle Code (Code) (625 ILCS 5/6-303(d-3) (West 2022)). The information specifically stated

that the defendant’s driver’s license or driving privilege had been previously revoked pursuant to

section 11-501 of the Code (625 ILCS 5/11-501 (West 2004)), this being “a fourth or subsequent

violation of Section 6-303” of the Code, and referenced the defendant’s previous Class 4 felony

conviction of DWLR in Madison County case No. 2005-CF-1843. The information further

indicated that the defendant was eligible for extended-term sentencing with a minimum of 180

days’ incarceration.

¶5 On July 26, 2023, the defendant filed a motion to terminate his public defender and proceed

pro se. The defendant also filed numerous other motions to dismiss throughout the pendency of

this matter. The trial court granted the defendant’s motion to proceed pro se but denied all of the

remaining motions. The matter proceeded to a bench trial on September 3, 2024.

¶6 The State called Lieutenant Brian Reid of the Litchfield Police Department who testified

that he was on duty at around 3:33 p.m. on March 29, 2023. While patrolling, Lieutenant Reid

performed a license plate check of a maroon-colored vehicle as it drove past him southbound on

Highway 66 in Litchfield, Illinois. The plate check indicated that the registration was suspended

and Lieutenant Reid noted that the street was a route maintained by the State of Illinois. Lieutenant

2 Reid was able to stop the vehicle after a short period of time and made contact with the driver.

Lieutenant Reid identified the defendant in court as the individual he pulled over. Lieutenant Reid

stated that the defendant was in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and that no one else was in the car.

Lieutenant Reid asked the defendant for his driver’s license, and he responded that he was driving

“on some tickets.” The defendant provided Lieutenant Reid with a copy of the citations, one of

which indicated that the defendant had been driving while his license was revoked. Lieutenant

Reid asked the defendant if his license was still revoked and he admitted that he was driving with

a revoked license. Lieutenant Reid then ran a check of the defendant’s license by computer with

the Secretary of State, which confirmed that the defendant’s license was still revoked by the State

of Illinois. Lieutenant Reid issued a citation to the defendant, and the vehicle was towed from the

scene.

¶7 Lieutenant Reid further testified that People’s Exhibit No. 1 was a DVD with his body

camera footage from the vehicle stop. A portion of the footage was published, showing the

defendant sitting in the driver’s side of the vehicle and acknowledging that he believed that his

driver’s license was revoked. On cross-examination, the defendant asked Lieutenant Reid if he

remembered the defendant stating that he believed that he had the right to drive. Lieutenant Reid

responded that he did remember the defendant making that statement.

¶8 The State then offered a copy of the defendant’s driving record for admission into evidence

as People’s Exhibit No. 2. The defendant was asked if he objected to the exhibit, and he stated that

he did not. The trial court noted that the exhibit was a self-certified authenticated Illinois State

driver’s abstract from the Secretary of State and admitted the exhibit into evidence. In the interest

of brevity and for ease of reference, relevant portions of the abstract are set forth in detail in the

analysis below. After the abstract was admitted, the State rested.

3 ¶9 The defendant then testified on his own behalf. After repeatedly attempting to present

argument regarding his right to travel, the defendant testified that he was traveling because he

thought he “had the right to do that.”

¶ 10 The trial court found that the State had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant

was operating or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while on a highway in the State of

Illinois. The trial court also found that, based upon the defendant’s own admission and People’s

Exhibit 2, the defendant’s driving privileges had been revoked at the time of the incident. The trial

court noted that the defendant’s revocation had been in place since at least November 23, 1991.

The defendant then interrupted the trial court stating that he believed his driver’s license was

actually revoked since 1986. The trial court set a sentencing hearing for November 12, 2024.

¶ 11 A presentence investigation report (PSI) was prepared for the sentencing hearing. The PSI

outlined the defendant’s criminal history, all of which occurred in the State of Illinois unless

otherwise noted, as follows: (1) a 1991 conviction for DUI involving alcohol; (2) a 1991

conviction for DWLR based on suspension; (3) a 1993 conviction for DUI involving alcohol; (4) a

1993 conviction for DWLR based on revocation; (5) a 1994 conviction for DWLR, noted to be a

subsequent conviction; (6) a 1994 conviction for DWLR, noted to be a subsequent conviction, and

also noted to be pursuant to revocation for DUI; (7) a 1996 conviction for DWLR, noted to be a

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People v. Roberson, 2026 IL App (5th) 241271-U (Ill. Ct. App. 2026).

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