WAUSAU — A 51-year-old Schofield man facing his 7th drunken driving charge was arrested after he allegedly asked a Weston bank teller for a gun and said he wanted to kill himself, police said.
Paul Hillman was arrested around 11:30 a.m. Friday, July 7 on Bus. Hwy. 51 in Rothschild near Volkman Street, police said. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13 percent, nearly seven times the 0.02 percent limit imposed on Hillman due to his prior six OWI convictions, according to the criminal compliant.
Police began looking for Hillman just after 11 a.m. after a bank teller reported the exchange. A Rothschild officer saw Hillman’s vehicle and pulled him over a short time later, according to the complaint. Hillman, who allegedly “badly slurred” his words, told the officer he was only joking.
Hillman admitted he had started drinking shortly after he finished his overnight work shift, at 5 a.m., and stopped drinking around 8:30 a.m., according to the police report. He was arrested and taken to the Marathon County Jail, where he is being held on a $15,000 cash bond, court records show.
If convicted, Hillman faces between three and 12 1/2 years in prison. He will be eligible for license reinstatement in three years.
A review hearing is set for July 18.
