Pretrial proceedings begin Friday for Illinois man for alleged DUIs

An Illinois man will begin pretrial proceedings Feb. 28 before Alexander County Circuit Judge William J. Thurston after a Dec. 19 court hearing.

David D. Hull, 45, of Thebes, Ill., is charged with two felony counts of driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and two felony counts of aggravated driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

If convicted on all counts, Hull could spend up to 16 years in prison. The charges reflect two previous convictions, a 1987 DWI conviction and a 2000 DWI conviction in Missouri, said Alexander County State's Attorney Jeffrey Farris.

Hull spent 2 1/2 years in prison after he was sentenced in 1987 to five years in prison for reckless homicide, driving while under the influence of alcohol and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

In the 1987 conviction, Hull's vehicle collided with a car on Highway 3 between Olive Branch, Ill., and Thebes, Ill., causing serious injury to a 16-year-old Thebes driver and killing her 20-year-old Olive Branch passenger. Hull was arrested Oct. 22 near where his previous accident occurred on Highway 3.