Will County prosecutor, DUI expert Debbie Mills receives Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists honor

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October 24

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow is proud to announce that one of his assistant state’s attorneys, Debbie Mills, will be honored by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists for her skill and dedication in prosecuting drunken driving cases.

Assistant State’s Attorney Mills will receive the award at AAIM’s Annual Benefit Gala on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Medinah Banquets in Addison. She will be honored that evening along with many prosecutors, police officers, victim advocates and AAIM supporters from throughout Illinois for their contributions in the fight against drunken driving.

Mills, who served as the Chief of State’s Attorney Glasgow’s Misdemeanor Division, is an expert in the area of DUI law, having reviewed and charged countless drunken driving cases and having personally prosecuted many of the county’s most significant felony DUI trials.

Most notably, she led the prosecution team that secured a conviction and a 9-1/2 year prison term for Cecil Conner, a drunken driver who caused a one-car wreck that killed a 5-year-old boy in May 2010 in south suburban Steger. Michael Langford Jr., the son of Conner’s girlfriend, had been sleeping in the backseat when the car crossed the center line, drove across several lawns, ripped down a fence and collided with a pine tree at between 66-73 mph. Conner’s blood-alcohol level tested at .180.

Under Mills’ direction, the Misdemeanor Division charged and prosecuted more than 2,000 misdemeanor DUI cases annually. In her role as chief, Mills personally reviewed all misdemeanor DUI arrests to determine whether defendants qualified for felony upgrades under Illinois law. 

Mills also has conducted training for police and prosecutors on the enforcement of Illinois DUI laws over the years. And she has spoken in the community about the consequences people face when they choose to drink and drive. She currently serves as a felony prosecutor.

“This is a tremendous honor for a dedicated prosecutor whose hard work has taken countless DUI offenders off of our roads,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “There is no doubt in my mind that our streets are safer because of Debbie’s skillful trial work on tough DUI prosecutions like the Cecil Conner case. And as my Misdemeanor Division Chief, she reviewed each DUI with a sharp eye to make certain every offender was prosecuted to the fullest extent under the law. I am extraordinarily pleased that AAIM has given her this recognition.”

Before coming to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in 2002, Mills worked for the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted misdemeanors, criminal traffic offenses, felony narcotics cases and other felony offenses. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse and her law degree from DePaul University College of Law.

AAIM was founded as a grassroots organization in 1982 by victims of drunk driving in order to save lives on Illinois roadways. The annual benefit supports AAIM’s Victim Assistance Fund, which was created to help victims deal with the financial impacts of DUI crashes.