Felony DUI reduced due to 'dumb' law

SANDPOINT — A Priest River man charged with a felony drunken driving charge after crashing his snowmobile pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge, court records show.

Jeffrey Caleb Fowler allegedly rolled his snowmobile on Parsons Drive southwest of Priest River last month and was facing a felony enhancement because of two prior DUI convictions in Kootenai County. However, Judge Justin Julian ruled during a preliminary hearing that the enhancement did not apply because of an existing standalone law prohibiting impaired operation of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, which is a misdemeanor.

The felony enhancement was dismissed and the state amended the charge, according to court documents.“Candidly, you got lucky here,” Julian told Fowler, adding that the Legislature passed a “dumb” law in 1999.

Fowler, 30, was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 28 days suspended and the balance of the term converted to service on the sheriff’s labor program. He was also fined $500 and placed him on probation for a year.