WESTON — Police say high speed and erratic driving led to the arrest of a 47-year-old Marathon man on charges of 8th offense drunken driving.
Charles Richey appeared Monday in Marathon County Circuit Court, where he was ordered held on a $15,000 bond with the first $5,000 to be paid in cash. He was previously convicted of drunken driving in 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998 and three times in 2002, court records show.
Everest Metro police at 11:04 p.m. Saturday were initially alerted to be on the lookout for a Harley Davidson being driven at a high rate of speed and in an erratic manner from Jelinek Avenue to Alderson Street. Five minutes later, an officer saw a motorcycle matching the description traveling eastbound on Schofield Avenue and made the traffic stop, according to the police report.
Officers say the driver, later identified as Richey, pulled into the parking lot of The Jim. When the arresting officer approached Richey, the officer noted a distinct odor of alcohol, according to his report. But when the officer told Richey he could smell alcohol, Richey allegedly became belligerent, saying, “You’re full of shit. We’re at a freaking bar. What do you expect?”
Richey became increasingly argumentative, police said, and refused to undergo field sobriety tests or submit to a preliminary breath test. Officers were forced to call for backup, then obtained a warrant to have a chemical test of Richey’s blood at a local hospital, court documents state.
As of Monday evening, Richey remains in the Marathon County Jail. If he is convicted, Richey faces a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 years in the Wisconsin Prison System.
A preliminary hearing is set for May 9.
