By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A 45-year-old Wausau woman facing her fifth drunken driving charge tried to force her way into another woman’s vehicle and threatened to punch a police officer, according to a criminal complaint.
Beth Shaw appeared Tuesday in Marathon County Court, where she faces charges of felony drunken driving, operating with a revoked license and disorderly conduct. She remains in custody in the Marathon County Jail.
Shaw was on probation stemming from her fourth drunken driving arrest at the time of the crash, according to court records.
Police were called at 8:30 p.m. Monday to the scene of a single vehicle crash on Hwy. K near 32nd Avenue in the village of Maine, where a witness said Shaw first veered into the eastern ditch of the road, then swerved back onto the highway, crossed both lanes of traffic and wound up in the west side ditch.
Another witness said Shaw tried to force her way into another vehicle, according to the police report. After the woman inside the vehicle locked the doors, Shaw began kicking the vehicle and screaming at the woman, police said.
Shaw refused field sobriety tests and was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw. There, police say, she became combative and threatened to punch one of the police officers.
Shaw’s previous drunken driving charges happened in 2001, 2010, 2012 and 2015, court records show. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 13.
