Texas man charged with 5th DUI
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 8 months AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | April 20, 2021 1:00 AM
POST FALLS — A man who recently relocated to Idaho from Texas is facing his fifth lifetime DUI charge.
James A. Dickerson, 51, is charged with driving under the influence, a felony.
Police stopped Dickerson’s vehicle around 9 p.m. Saturday for an alleged traffic violation.
He reportedly told police he had “about three beers and a few shots of vodka” that day.
He also allegedly said that he had recently moved from Texas for work and intended to reside in Idaho for at least five years.
Dickerson failed his standard field sobriety test, police said. Because he refused to provide a breath sample, police obtained a warrant to test his blood.
Police arrested Dickerson at the scene.
Dickerson has four previous DUI convictions, according to court documents. The convictions all occurred in Texas between 2011 and 2016.
Prosecutors said in court Monday that Dickerson was on felony probation for the most recent conviction until October 2020.
A third DUI violation within 10 years is a felony punishable by up to a decade in prison.
Dickerson could also face a persistent violator enhancement, prosecutors said, which is punishable by a maximum life sentence.
Judge Anna Eckhart ordered that Dickerson be held on $75,000 bail.
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