Hearing waived in felony DUI case

SANDPOINT — A Kootenai woman accused of driving under the influence and turning up on the couch in a stranger’s home waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

Carol Louise Brown is scheduled to be arraigned on a felony DUI charge and a misdemeanor unlawful entry charge in 1st District Court on Dec. 12.

The charges against Brown, 56, arose from a single-vehicle crash on Porath Road on Sept. 21. The crash apparently went unnoticed until a nearby homeowner discovered Brown on her couch shortly before midnight. She faced additional charges of leaving the scene of a collision and possessing an open container of alcohol, although those offenses were dismissed court records show.

The DUI charge rose to the felony level due to prior DUI convictions in Bonner County in 2000, 2006 and 2008.