A 62-year-old man from Twin Falls has been sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by a three-year indeterminate term, after being found guilty on April 2 of felony DUI and felony eluding law enforcement. Darrel E. McCabe will serve his time at the Idaho State Penitentiary and may be considered for parole after completing the seven-year fixed portion of his sentence. In addition to prison time, Fifth District Judge Ned Williamson ordered that McCabe’s driver’s license be suspended for five years following his release. He was also instructed to pay $690 in court fees, $240 to the state lab, and $500 for fence repairs caused during the incident. The charges stem from an August 8 police chase south of Bellevue. According to testimony from Blaine County Deputy Jacy Baird, McCabe was seen driving at high speed in the wrong lane on Gannett Road around 6 p.m. Baird said he swerved to avoid a collision and began pursuing McCabe, who eventually turned abruptly into a field, drove over a canal, and crashed into a fence. McCabe then fled on foot. Baird testified that McCabe attempted to hide behind a barn and hot tub and was ultimately arrested at gunpoint. During the arrest, McCabe reportedly resisted and kicked Sgt. Michael Shelamer in the chest and neck, leading to an initial felony battery charge. Due to a prior felony DUI conviction in 2014, McCabe faced an enhanced DUI charge. He refused a breath test, but a blood draw later revealed a blood-alcohol level of .22—nearly triple the legal limit. McCabe reached a nonbinding plea agreement with the Blaine County Prosecutor’s Office on January 27, pleading guilty to felony DUI and felony eluding. In return, the battery charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. At the March 31 sentencing, Prosecutor Matt Fredback recommended four years of incarceration, a $5,000 suspended fine, and a three-year license suspension. However, Judge Williamson imposed a harsher sentence, citing McCabe’s high intoxication level and long history of DUIs—this being his eighth. While acknowledging McCabe’s personal struggles, including the recent loss of his wife, the judge described him as a public safety threat and increased the prison term by three years and the license suspension by two, though he lessened the financial penalties.