Jurors take 2 hours to find Montana man guilty of 10th DUI; was on parole from last conviction
By APTuesday, June 15, 2010
Montana man convicted of 10th DUI; was on parole
POLSON, Mont. — A 52-year-old Montana man has been found guilty of his 10th drunken driving charge after a two-day trial in Polson.
Lake County officials say Wesley Jean Couture, of Billings, was on parole from a 2003 DUI when a Flathead tribal officer observed his vehicle cross the center line in Pablo on Sept. 6, 2009. Court records say Couture failed several field sobriety tests and refused a breath test.
A jury deliberated about two hours Tuesday before convicting him.
A prosecutor says Couture was found guilty of his ninth DUI in March 2003 and was sentenced to 10 years with the Department of Corrections, with seven suspended.
Couture is scheduled to be sentenced July 14. Because of a previous parole violation, it’s unclear how many years in prison he faces.
Information from: KERR-AM, www.750kerr.com/
