Man Arrested Twice for Drunken Driving in 3 Hours Sentenced

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City man arrested in February for driving drunk twice in a span of about three hours will avoid serving time behind bars.

The Rapid City Journal reports that Judge Jeff Davis on Monday gave 37-year-old James Buchholz suspended sentences of 60 days in jail and four years in prison.

Officers first arrested Buchholz after a hit-and-run incident involving his pickup truck. He was jailed but bonded out, and authorities say officers later found him sleeping in the driver's seat of another pickup truck pulled to the side of a road.

Buchholz says he's an alcoholic and has undergone treatment. His defense attorney says Buchholz has found out that he has a liver condition.

The judge is requiring him to participate in South Dakota's 24-7 sobriety program, among other consequences.