A Columbia Falls man with a history of contempt charges and failing to appear has pleaded guilty to felony drunk driving.

Gregory Winkle, 58, entered the plea Monday in Flathead District Court.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper attempted to stop Winkle at 7:10 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2013, after seeing him driving east on U.S. 2 without his headlights on. Winkle did not stop, however, pulling into a driveway and then putting his car in reverse, almost hitting the trooper’s vehicle.

The trooper then honked his horn and activated his siren and Winkle stopped, getting out of his car. At that point, the trooper got out and ordered Winkle to return to his car.

Winkle smelled of alcohol, had watery eyes and admitted he had been drinking, also failing field-sobriety and breath-alcohol tests. He later specified that he had been drinking bourbon.

A court document states Winkle’s prior convictions for drunk driving came in December 2003, June 2006 and October 2010. It also states he has several prior criminal contempt charges and a conviction for obstruction of justice and he was arrested twice in 2010 on Lake County warrants for failing to appear at court hearings.

A felony drunk driving conviction is punishable with 13 months in a residential alcohol treatment program run by the Montana Department of Corrections, a consecutive, suspended sentence of five years either to the corrections department or the Montana State Prison, or between 13 months and five years of incarceration with the Corrections Department if the defendant has already been placed in treatment due to a prior conviction.

It also carries a fine of between $1,000 and $10,000.

Winkle is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where his bond is set at $5,000 after having been reduced from $20,000.

A sentencing hearing is set for April 17.