Football Coach Faces Second DUI

Rolling Meadows High School's head football coach, Doug Millsaps, 47, isn't planning on resigning as he heads to court for a second DUI charge, as reported by the Daily Herald.

Millsaps, a Bolingbrook, Illinois resident, received his first DUI arrest in 2004 and the second, the one he faces now, occurred on June 6, 2009.  In the latter incident, a police officer discovered him asleep in his car with the engine running on Ford Street, Geneva.

Judge Kevin T. Busch set the next court date for September 29, and, if not concluded at that time, the judge plans on the case going to trial in November. 

Millsaps is maintaining his innocence and claims that the school has not notified him of any plans to ask for his resignation.  He states that even though there has been a lot of public interest in his case, "I firmly believe I didn't do anything wrong. My process won't be the same as most people's but I'll let the legal system work through it."

Officials from the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 cited employee confidentiality when they made no comment about Millsaps' employment.

While Millsaps' attorney, Ricardo Bell, claims that both he and his client are talking with police in efforts to resolve the matter before trial, Judge Busch has noted that the case has been dragging out for more than a year and said, "There certainly should have been a lot of opportunities between then and now to have this conversation."

Geneva police reported that at the arrest Millsaps had bloodshot eyes, poor balance and a strong alcohol odor on his breath.  After he failed the field sobriety test, Millsaps refused any further examination.

Millsaps pleaded guilty to the DUI charge in 2004 in DuPage County.  In that incident police clocked him speeding at 52 mph in a 35 mph zone and noted his car veering in-between lanes three times, a little after four in the morning on May 28, 2004.

In Millsaps' plea deal, the speeding and improper lane usage was dismissed.  He was ordered to a year of court supervisions, $1,000 in fines and fees for the DUI, counseling, and attendance in a victim impact panel.

The Geneva County arrest has been very different as Millsaps argued that police had no probable cause, "The arresting officer did not have reasonable grounds to believe that I was driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle."

In a statement made for the benefit of his football team and other interested parties, Millsaps explained, "I tell our players not to run and hide when they're challenged and everybody is challenged at different times. So what kind of message am I sending (if I resign), no matter how bad of a year this has been? People will have their judgments until all the facts are out, but I really am a good person and good for kids and good for this program."

Millsaps driver's license is currently under suspension by the Illinois Secretary of State's office.

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