COEUR D’ALENE, ID – A 39-year-old north Idaho man with a lengthy criminal history has been sentenced to prison following his fifth lifetime conviction for driving under the influence, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

William Everett Gill, IV, of Hayden, was sentenced on Wednesday by District Judge Barry McHugh to 10 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after two years. The sentence stems from a July 18, 2024, traffic stop in which Gill was observed speeding. During the stop, he failed field sobriety tests and later provided breath samples showing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.198 and 0.197 — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Gill’s previous DUI convictions occurred in 2007, 2009, 2021, and earlier in 2025, all as misdemeanors, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. This latest conviction was prosecuted as a felony, which under Idaho law is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

In addition to the prison term, Gill received a five-year driver’s license suspension to begin upon his release.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Donna Gardner, who prosecuted the case, recommended a 10-year sentence with parole eligibility after five years. Judge McHugh ultimately granted parole eligibility after two years.

Prosecutors say Gill’s criminal history includes convictions for violating no contact orders, driving without privileges, possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver, criminal child endangerment, malicious injury to property, domestic assault, and numerous probation violations.

Prosecuting Attorney Stanley T. Mortensen thanked the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Department for its role in investigating the case and acknowledged the work of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gardner.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 32% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. involve alcohol-impaired drivers. In 2022, 13,524 people were killed in crashes involving drunk driving.