URBANA — An Urbana man with a history of drunken driving was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for his fourth driving under the influence conviction, the maximum he could have received.

In April, a Champaign County jury deliberated about 15 minutes before convicting Ricky A. Alexander, 56, of the 2000 block of Fletcher Street, of aggravated driving under the influence.

Assistant State's Attorney Andrea Bergstrom called two Urbana police officers who testified that on June 10, 2010, they answered a call from a citizen concerned that an intoxicated man had left the Meijer store on Philo Road about 11:30 p.m.

The witness got a license plate number for the vehicle, which police learned belonged to Debra Durkin, Alexander's girlfriend. Police went to the apartment complex on Fletcher, found an impaired Alexander outside the car who admitted he had been driving, and felt the engine to find it warm.

They arrested Alexander, who was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.239 percent, almost three times the limit for an Illinois motorist to be presumed intoxicated.

Alexander's attorney, Jim Dedman of Urbana, called Durkin, who testified that she had been driving the car.

But in her rebuttal case, Bergstrom had the 911 caller testify.

He was Robert McNicholl, an employee of The Pavilion in Champaign, a treatment facility for substance abusers, who said he recognized the signs of impairment.

Judge Richard Klaus imposed the sentence on Alexander, whose criminal record dates to 1974 and includes multiple convictions for resisting arrest, retail theft, illegal transportation of liquor, battery, theft, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, violation of bail bond, possession of marijuana, domestic battery, possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence, driving under suspension and driving under revocation.

Klaus said it was apparent from his criminal record that Alexander had no rehabilitative potential and if given a community-based sentence would likely keep driving and hurt someone.