I work in the court system and have first-hand knowledge of the process concerning DUI arrests in Illinois. Jamar Smith pleading "not guilty" to the charge is standard operating procedure for defendants, especially those who have representation whether it's on their own or appointed counsel by the court.
If a driver is arrested for suspicion of DUI, they have the option of taking the breath test or refusing to do so. If they refuse, their license is suspended for 6 months. If they blow more than .08, the suspension is 3 months. Drivers that do not take the test have a better chance of having their DUI dismissed, but the chances are still not that great if the arresting officer observes erratic driving prior to the stop. If there is suspicion of a DUI having occurred and the driver is hospitalized, the state's attorney must subpoena the hospital for results of the blood test, which can take up to 4 weeks to obtain in some instances, but usually a two week window is more common depending on the prosecutor's work load and the efficiency of the hospital involved.
Drivers have the right to a suspension hearing in the county where the offense happened, to throw out the suspension. In the past three weeks in my county, we had 4 such hearings, with 2 of the suspensions rescinded and 2 of them upheld by the judge. Most of the time, attorneys will ask for a suspension hearing, but in the end, they are never held and the driver ends up pleading guilty to the DUI charge. In some circumstances, the DUI is dismissed, but the 3 month or 6 months suspension still stands. Many drivers that plead to DUI's also get special driving permits that allow them to drive to and from work or school only during their suspension time. The Secretary of State also allows these special permits to be used if the driver must operate a vehicle as part of their job.
In the past 12 years or so, DUI laws in Illinois have gotten tougher. It used to be that the legal limit for DUI offenders was .10 (now it's .08). Also, every first-time DUI offender has the right to get court supervision in which pleading guilty to the offense will not result in having their license revoked. The supervision period carries special conditions the driver must uphold for a certain length of time. The time period for supervision varies from county to county in Illinois. Where I work, it is normally for 2 years, but I've seen it as low as 18 months. Drivers that fail to complete their supervision successfully run the risk of having that supervision revoked, in which case the Secretary of State would revoke their license for a certain period of time. Illinois drivers that are caught driving on a revoked license often are sentenced to local county jails or to the Department of Corrections if their driving record carries multiple revocations. It used to be that you could get supervision for multiple DUI offenses twice in a 10-year period. Now, drivers can only get supervision once in their lifetime.
Sorry for the long post--just thought I'd shed some light on the subject so people wouldn't think Jamar Smith was getting preferential treatment if it turns out he gets supervision on this offense. Given the reports and circumstances surrounding the incident, it would seem hard to believe the charges would get dismissed, but every traffic stop has its own backstory, and you can't lump all DUI arrests as the same.