photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Hunter Neis

A 24-year-old man who was operating a vehicle with more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream was convicted of his fourth DUI — a felony — on Thursday in Douglas County District Court.

The defendant, Hunter Neis, was arrested for his fourth DUI in August of last year, just four months after he was stopped for his third DUI in Osage County, in which his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. Prior to that, he had a second conviction in Franklin County District Court in 2021 and a DUI diversion in Wellsville Municipal Court in 2020. In the Franklin County District Court case, charges of attempted burglary and marijuana possession were dismissed by the prosecutor.

Neis pleaded no contest to the fourth offense Thursday. Prosecutor Adam Carey said sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 400 block of East 1700 Road on Aug. 2, 2025, after a vehicle had gone into the ditch. Neis’ speech was slurred and he exhibited other signs of intoxication. He refused a breath test, Carey told Judge Amy Hanley, but a search warrant was obtained for a blood draw, which revealed a blood-alcohol level of .36, or more than four times the legal limit of .08.

At sentencing, scheduled for July 9, Neis will likely be facing 30 days in custody — two days in jail plus 28 days on house arrest with GPS monitoring and work release, in addition to a likely 24 months on probation with an underlying suspended sentence of at least 17 months in prison, depending on what a pre-sentence investigation turns up.

Additionally, the parties’ plea agreement calls for Neis to complete a drug and alcohol evaluation and a victim impact panel, among other requirements, and he will be mandated to have ignition interlock and Soberlink devices. The former is a device that prevents a car from starting if it detects alcohol; the latter is a portable breathalyzer that can remotely monitor alcohol intake.