C-Falls man sentenced following eighth DUI arrest

A 48-year-old Columbia Falls man was sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to felony DUI.

Gregory Anklam, a carpenter, was stopped by the Montana Highway Patrol on May 14, 2011, when he was reportedly driving 62 mph in a 45 mph zone. He allegedly admitted to the trooper that he had been drinking and that he was an alcoholic. While unsteady on his feet, he refused to provide a breath sample.

Further investigation revealed Anklam had been convicted of DUIs in Montana on April 3, 1985, Jan. 6, 1986, Nov. 21, 1990, Nov. 23, 1992, July 5, 1994, Nov. 30, 1998, and May 25, 2006.

Anklam pleaded guilty Dec. 29, 2011, by way of an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence but acknowledged sufficient evidence existed to convict him.

Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler ordered Anklam to be placed in an appropriate treatment program and pay a $1,000 fine, an $800 public defender fee and a $160 surcharge fee.

Anklam's sentence will run concurrently with the sentence from a 2005 DUI case in Lewis and Clark County, which was recently revoked.