(Kenosha County Sheriff)
SALEM LAKES, Wis. – An Illinois man who drove drunk through the village with his 13-year-old son in the car has been sentenced after pleading guilty earlier this month.
Arrest and Complaint
Roman Sokil Jr., 36, of Antioch, Ill., was arrested on December 8, 2024, after Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputies observed his driving near Wilmot Road and Antioch Road just after midnight. According to the criminal complaint, Deputy McGrath became suspicious of Sokil’s route and believed it was possible Sokil was trying to locate Hawg Heaven, a nearby bar that was still open. McGrath eventually stopped Sokil after seeing him make an illegal U-turn. When deputies approached the vehicle, they reported Sokil had glassy eyes and slow, slurred speech, and they smelled alcohol coming from inside the vehicle.
Sokil’s 13-year-old son was in the front passenger seat, unbelted and apparently ill. Sokil told deputies that he had been taking his son to the hospital because the boy was sick. His son also told deputies he was not feeling well and confirmed they had gone to the hospital but had not seen a doctor. Sokil told deputies they waited at the emergency department for about 20 to 25 minutes before leaving, and Sokil later apologized and said he would never have driven if his son had not been feeling well.
Sokil initially denied drinking but later admitted to consuming four beers. He refused to complete field sobriety tests and was taken into custody. A blood sample was drawn at 2:38 a.m., though results were not immediately available at the time of charging. Court records show Sokil had a prior impaired-driving conviction in Cook County, Illinois, from 2022.
Charges Filed
He was formally charged with Operating While Intoxicated (2nd offense) with a child under 16 in the vehicle, a misdemeanor that carries up to one year in jail and a fine up to $2,200. The charge also requires license revocation of two to three years upon conviction.
Sokil first appeared in court on December 11, 2024. Court Commissioner Donald Bielski released him on a no-cash bail after refunding his $500 statutory deposit.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
On August 6, 2025, Sokil pleaded guilty in front of Judge Jason Rossell. He was sentenced to 100 days in jail with Huber release privileges, credit for one day served, and ordered to report on August 23. Rossell also imposed a $500 fine plus costs, a 14-month driver’s license revocation, a 14-month ignition interlock requirement, alcohol and drug assessment, and mandatory DNA sampling. Sokil was granted eligibility for work release or community service work crew. Several related traffic citations—including failure to have a passenger belted, an unlawful U-turn, and non-registration of a vehicle—were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Despite the statutory maximum of up to one year behind bars, Sokil received just over three months in jail with work release, leading some courtroom observers to note the leniency of the sentence.
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4 Responses
Deport him back to Illinois!
Sokil ain’t Illinoisan.
The DNA thing is too much and everything else is too little.
The DNA thing is standsrd practice in Wisconsin.
That’s me. Was on the way to hospital because my son’s fever was reaching 104. Stopped at bar parking lot because my google maps glitched and it was only place to stop for miles. Recently moved to the area and looked up closest hospital. Officer Frank McGrath told me I should have called a ambulance, meanwhile he walked up to my son in passenger seat seen him slumped over with a high fever (which is why he wasn’t buckled up) and did not offer to call a ambulance and just walked away. Was worried about getting a arrest instead of helping a sick child, which is part of his job description.
I did not have slurred speech wasn’t trying to locate a bar and taking my son to get medical attention. This article even has the pos cops name wrong which is Frank McGrath not Ryan. Police report can prove everything I’m saying. Whoever wrote this article is a pos too.