Scooter rider convicted of felony DUI

A 49-year-old Columbia Falls man was sentenced to 13 months with the Department of Corrections after he pleaded no contest to a felony DUI charge.

According to court records, James Boles was arrested at Helena Flats Road and Pioneer Road on April 21, 2010, following a report of a single-vehicle accident there.

The responding Highway Patrol trooper found a 150 cc scooter in the ditch. Boles was injured and was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

The trooper reported that Boles would not respond to his questions, but a blood draw at the hospital confirmed his suspicions that Boles was intoxicated.

A background check revealed that Boles had been convicted of DUIs in August 1991, December 1999, May 2006 and on April 13, 2010 - eight days before the accident on Helena Flats Road.

Flathead County District Court Judge David Ortley sentenced Boles on Aug. 18 to 13 months with recommended placement in the state's WATCH program, followed by a two-year suspended sentence with the Department of Corrections.