Rathdrum man sentenced in DUI case
A Rathdrum man received a suspended five-year prison sentence Tuesday after being found guilty of felony driving under the influence.
Richard Joseph Veltri Jr., 47, was also ordered to serve 180 days in jail before being released for probation, Senior District Judge Barbara Buchanan ruled, according to a press release from the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office,
The charge stems from a Sept. 28 incident when three people called 911 to report that Veltri was swerving and driving into oncoming traffic, the release said.
An Idaho State Police trooper pulled Veltri over for suspicion of DUI. During the investigation, Veltri provided two breath samples revealing a blood alcohol concentration of .310/.303, nearly four times the legal limit of .08, according to the release.
Having previously been convicted of DUI in 1997, 2008, 2009, 2018 and 2021, this was Veltri’s sixth lifetime conviction for DUI, the release said.
At court on Sept. 30, the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office recommended that Veltri remain in jail on a $200,000 bond. Senior Magistrate Judge Timothy VanValin ordered that Veltri remain in jail on a $30,000 bond, the release said.
Veltri bonded out of jail Oct. 1, the release said.
As a condition of his release, Veltri was ordered to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages and submit to alcohol testing.
On Oct. 29, Veltri was taken into custody on a bench warrant that was issued after he failed to appear for alcohol testing. On Oct. 30, Veltri was released from jail on a $30,000 bond, according to the releaser.
Court records indicate that Veltri was again taken into custody Monday on a bench warrant that was issued after he tested positive for consuming alcoholic beverages.
Felony DUI is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.