Normally, people lose their jobs when they go to jail. But could jail time save Mesa Councilman Ryan Winkle's job?

The councilman pleaded guilty to one count of extreme DUI this week and accepted an offer that included more jail time than is typical for the offense. Much more.

Winkle will spend six days in Lower Buckeye Jail and 49 days on home detention. He will be able to leave the house 12 hours a day during home detention.

According to DUI attorney Russ Richelsoph, who was not involved with Winkle's case, on average a person with the same charges would likely see four days in jail and five days of home detention.

"Why in the world would he agree to so much jail time?" Richelsoph said.

His attorney, John Phebus, said Winkle's plea deal was "a fair compromise and an appropriate resolution," that brought closure for the city of Mesa and the councilman himself.

Winkle was arrested in May after police officers saw him nearly hit three pedestrians. His blood-alcohol content was 0.22 percent. Eight years earlier, he was arrested for another "super extreme" DUI.

Had Winkle not agreed to the plea, he would have gone to trial, a time-consuming process, Phebus said.

Winkle also could have pleaded guilty to the judge instead of taking the plea agreement. Phebus said the judge definitely would have given him a lesser penalty, but it likely would have included probation, which would not have been conducive to Winkle's duties as a councilman.

Phebus said he didn't know why the prosecutor's plea deal included "enhanced punishment," but it could have factored in his previous DUI and "overall evaluation of the case."

"Councilman Winkle wanted to move forward and wanted to accept responsibility with as little fuss and controversy as possible. Doing so brought closure to himself and the citizens of Mesa and, hopefully, set a good example of the sort of accountability that the councilman expects of himself," Phebus said in a statement.

Is his acceptance of responsibility enough to keep his council seat? Winkle hopes so.

He's been on a voluntary suspension since May and the council will decide his permanent fate next month. They could remove him from office.

After he accepted the plea offer, Winkle told The Arizona Republic he hopes his colleagues say, "Hey, this guy's been put through the wringer. Let's give him a punishment and move on and get some work done."

His biggest foe, the Arizona Republican Party (they launched a petition to encourage the council to boot Winkle) isn't swayed.

"Our position on Councilman Winkle hasn't changed. Even one extreme DUI is too many — this was his second. His behavior was irresponsible and reckless. The city of Mesa deserves better," AZ GOP spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair said in a statement.