Post Falls man gets prison after third DUI
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 1 week AGO
COEUR d’ALENE — A Post Falls man will spend up to a decade in prison for driving under the influence.
Alexander Z. Caldwell, 28, pleaded guilty in December to driving under the influence, a felony.
First District Judge John Cafferty sentenced Caldwell this week to 10 years in prison, the maximum possible penalty, with parole eligibility after four years and a five-year suspension of his driver’s license following his release.
The charge stemmed from November 2025, when prosecutors said a citizen reported a possible drunk driver, later identified as Caldwell.
An Idaho State Police trooper contacted Caldwell at the Huetter rest area, prosecutors said. Caldwell provided breath samples that revealed a breath alcohol concentration of 0.167, more than twice the legal limit, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Caldwell’s driver’s license was suspended at the time of the incident, prosecutors said. He also had two prior convictions for driving under the influence, in 2018 and 2021.
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Connell woman killed in Booker Road crash
CONNELL — Charges are pending against a Kennewick man following a collision about 12 miles south of Othello that killed a Connell woman and injured three other people Tuesday evening. A Washington State Patrol press memo said intoxicating substances were a factor. Jessica Zarate, 37, Connell, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the intersection of SR 17 and South Booker Road, the WSP memo said. She was driving south on Booker Road approaching the intersection when her car was hit by a pickup driven by John Reiss, 62, Kennewick. Edgar Garcia Quirino, 28, Othello, was driving north on SR 17 and ran into Zarate's car, the WSP memo said. The crash occurred at about 6:40 p.m.
Wheeler Road closed because of traffic collision
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Doors opening: The Currents will provide homeownership for more local workers
About 104 homes are planned at the former Atlas sawmill site
Teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers who keep Coeur d’Alene running will soon have more places to buy a home in the community where they work. About 104 homes are being planned to be built at Atlas Waterfront, on roughly 10 acres that are part of a swath of land that was once home to the Atlas sawmill and is being redeveloped. Ignite CDA, the city of Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, is leading this effort.