By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A 32-year-old Grand Marsh man arrested in late December on suspicion of driving while high on drugs was sentenced this week to two years in prison, even before the results of his blood tests were received by authorities.
Andrew Fristoe was on extended supervision stemming from his fourth OWI arrest when a Mosinee Police officer pulled him over on Christmas Day following a dispatch report of a driver who was “all over the road.” Extended supervision is Wisconsin’s version of parole. Officers then found a marijuana pipe in the center console of Fristoe’s vehicle, cocaine in a baggie, and a metal spoon and syringe on the driver’s side floor, according to the police report.
Before Fristoe stepped out of the vehicle, police saw him shove what they suspected to be heroin in his mouth. Fearing an overdose, the officers called an ambulance to transport him to a local hospital. The results of blood tests taken to measure the amount of drugs in his system could take as long as five months to receive, said Marathon County Assistant District Attorney Sidney Brubacher.
Alcohol use was not suspected.
Following the arrest, Fristoe’s probation was revoked and he was sent back to prison to serve the remaining three-year sentence for his prior conviction, which happened in Adams County. As part of the plea agreement in the Marathon County case, Fristoe pleaded guilty to fifth-offense OWI charges and agreed to have two years tacked on to his prison term.
Fristoe was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,452 and undergo substance abuse counseling. He will be eligible to apply for license reinstatement in three years.
