Post Falls man given 5 years in prison for fourth DUI

A Post Falls man was sentenced this week to five years in prison for his fourth driving under the influence conviction. Michael D. Carmack, 39, was sentenced Thursday by 1st District Judge Ben Simpson, who ordered that Carmack serve two years before he is eligible for parole. After he is released from prison, his Idaho driver’s license will be suspended for five years, the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said. Carmack was stopped by a Post Falls police officer Jan. 5 while driving with a blood-alcohol content that registered at .234 and .221. He was on unsupervised felony probation for DUI at the time of his arrest. Carmack pleaded guilty to felony DUI. He also has prior convictions for reckless driving, hit and run, driving without privileges and possession of paraphernalia. “The sentence was appropriate given the danger Mr. Carmack presents to the community when he decides to drink and drive,” Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh said in a news release. “Driving with a blood-alcohol content almost three times the legal limit while on felony probation for a prior DUI shows that Mr. Carmack is not amenable to the rules of probation at this time.”