Man sentenced for DUI

A judge said Tuesday that a man who pleaded guilty to his third DUI in four years needed “forced sober time” when she sentenced him to no more than six years behind bars.

Matthew R. Burroughs, 33, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and unlawful possession of a weapon, both felonies.

He was sentenced to a fixed term of three years for the former charge, followed by an additional three-year indeterminate sentence, to be served concurrently with a fixed three-year sentence followed by two years indeterminate for the latter charge.

Burroughs last pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in 2016.

Police said Burroughs was traveling south on Highway 97 on the evening of March 1 when his truck crossed into the oncoming lane and hit a snow berm. He was reportedly slumped over the wheel with the truck still running when police responded to the scene around 11:30 p.m.

Burroughs reportedly told police he was driving home from a pub in Coeur d’Alene, where he worked as a bartender, and had consumed approximately four beers prior to leaving work. Police said his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.

Burroughs was later arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon on May 22.

Though Burroughs’ attorney asked the judge to suspend any sentence in both cases and grant probation, Judge Cynthia Meyer said Burroughs needed “time in a secure setting to concentrate on treatment,” court documents said.

“I wish you the best,” Meyer said. “I know you can do this.”