JOLIET, IL - The Office of Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow has put a Joliet man on notice that being arrested for his eighth drunken driving offense means it's time say good-bye to his automobile for good. Last week, Assistant State's Attorney Tom Bahar notified defendant Jose Raya that his office intends to seize Raya's 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. Arguments are scheduled in front of Will County Judge Carmen Goodman in Courtroom 401 on March 14. Back on Jan. 6, Raya was arrested by a Will County Sheriff's Police deputy near Henderson Avenue and East Jackson Street on Joliet's east side. For Raya, 43, it marked the eighth time he was busted for DUI, court records show.

Raya currently faces four felony charges that were filed in Will County on Jan. 8: two counts of aggravated DUI, driving on a suspended or revoked license and obstructing justice. A long narrative explaining the circumstances of Raya's apprehension is on file at the Will County Courthouse. Here are some of the key events surrounding the Joliet man's arrest by a Will County Sheriff's deputy on regular patrol.

According to court documents: Raya's Silverado turned left from Jackson onto Henderson Avenue "where it drifted into the southbound lane of traffic for approximately 200 feet." After correcting the Silverado, Raya again crossed the center line and drove in the southbound lanes for 500 feet. The deputy then flipped on the sirens and flashing lights and Raya pulled over. Besides smelling of alcohol, Raya's eyes were bloodshot and drooping, his face was flushed and his speech slurred. "When asked why he was driving on the wrong side of the road, Raya advised that he was just trying to get home." The sheriff's deputy from Will County saw an open 12-pack of Budweiser bottles in the front seat and three empty bottles on the passenger floorboard. There was also one open glass bottle of Budweiser beer in the center console cup holder. "Raya advised that he was dropping people off and that the open beer inside the vehicle belonged to them. Raya further advised that he did not have a form of identification on him." Raya stepped out of his truck and performed several field sobriety tests. "Raya stated in summary that he was coming from a party where he drank 'two or three beers.' When asked again how much he had to drink, Raya stated 'three or four beers.'" After the field sobriety tests, Raya submitted to a portable Breathalyzer "to which he complied with a result of 0.205 blood-alcohol content, roughly two-and-a-half times the legal limit of 0.08. Raya was put under arrest and put in the back seat of the sheriff's deputy squad car "where he provided a name of Enrique Raya and a birth date of January 18, 1977. An inventory check of the vehicle revealed a work identification card bearing Jose Raya's picture and name, identifying the driver as Jose not Enrique." A subsequent records search revealed that Raya's Illinois driver's license was already revoked and suspended. "Upon arrival at the Will County Adult Detention Facility, Jose refused to submit to a Breathalyzer Test." RELATED: Will County Arrests Jose Raya For 8th DUI

Court records indicate Raya normally lives in the 600 block of Joliet's Cleveland Avenue. Raya was booked into custody around 10 p.m. on Jan. 6. A judge set his bond at $250,000. Now, more than a month later, Raya remains incarcerated inside Will County's jail. Raya now has 20 days to respond to the State's notice of forfeiture regarding his 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. "If you fail to do so, your interest in the property will be deemed waived, judgment will be entered against you by default and an Order of Forfeiture of the property will be entered," wrote Bahar, on behalf of State's Attorney James Glasgow.

Prior to last month's DUI arrest, Raya got his 7th DUI arrest, also in Will County, back in 2011. At that time he was popped by the Illinois State Police, court records show. "At the time of the traffic stop the defendant's license was suspended or revoked for prior dispositions of driving while under the influence of alcohol," 2012 court files show. At Raya's June 28, 2012 sentencing for his 7th DUI conviction, he was given a nine-year prison term at the Illinois Department of Corrections plus a four-year concurrent sentence for his conviction of aggravated driving while license suspended or revoked.

