Judge denies pre-trial release for Addison man accused of sixth DUI in DuPage County

Judge Joshua Dieden granted the State’s motion to detain pre-trial an Addison man accused of his sixth DUI, according to a June 10 announcement from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Addison Chief of Police Roy Selvik. Goran Brkic, 56, appeared in First Appearance Court charged with one count of Aggravated DUI – Sixth or Subsequent Violation, a Class X Felony.

Addison police responded on June 9 at approximately 11:27 a.m. to a report of a driver slumped over the wheel at Lake Street and Mill Road. Officers found Brkic allegedly disoriented in his vehicle and observed an odor of alcohol. Police said Brkic did not know how to put his car in park and required assistance from officers. It is further alleged that Brkic’s blood alcohol content was .301.

“Time after time, Mr. Brkic thumbed his nose at the law,” Berlin said. “He continued to get behind the wheel of his car not only after his first or second DUI, but as alleged in this case, after his fifth. Now Mr. Brkic finds himself facing DUI charges for the sixth time. What I find particularly disturbing in this case is the allegation that the defendant had a BAC of .301 while driving on an extremely busy road at 11:30 in the morning. Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of Mr. Brkic’s alleged behavior. I commend the Addison Police Department for their work in securing Mr. Brkic’s vehicle and for their ongoing efforts in keeping our roadways safe. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Rob Willis and Anna Derkacz for their work in securing charges against Mr. Brkic.”

“This offender has made a career out of gambling with innocent lives on the roadway,” Selvik said. “Due to the swift actions of responding officers he was taken into custody before anyone was seriously hurt. We would like to thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his staff for aggressively preventing this individual from further endangering the motoring public.”

Brkic's next court appearance is scheduled for July 6 before Judge Joseph Bugos; if convicted, he faces six to thirty years in prison.

Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and not proof of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

DuPage County has an average student-to-teacher ratio of 13-to-1 with more than 142,000 students enrolled across its schools during the most recent academic year; teacher absenteeism rates were reported at over 38 percent countywide, according to data from Illinois State Board of Education.