By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A 41-year-old Marshfield man convicted of his fifth drunken driving offense will spend a year in prison and five years on extended supervision, according to court records.
David Stephens, who police say nearly struck a vehicle head on and drove into a ditch before being arrested, was also ordered to pay a $3,214 fine.
Stephens’ preliminary blood alcohol content was 0.225 percent, more than 10 times the 0.02 percent limit imposed by the state due to his four prior OWI convictions. Those convictions happened in 1997, 2000, 2005 and 2013, according to court records.
Stephens’ guessed he would “blow” a 0.25 percent, according to court documents.
Police from multiple departments tried to locate Stephens just before 6 p.m. on Oct. 6 after they were notified of an erratic driver traveling northbound on Hwy. V in Marathon County. Dispatch advised police that Stephens’ vehicle had gone into the ditch but the driver was able to continue on, nearly striking a mailbox and almost causing a head-on collision.
Police pulled Stephens over on W. Dearborn Street near S. Pearl Street in Spencer and administered field sobriety tests before giving him a breathalyzer, according to the criminal complaint. That’s when he was taken into custody.
Stephens, who pleaded guilty to 5th offense OWI on June 25, was given four days credit for time spent behind bars before he posted bond.
He will be eligible to have his driving privileges reinstated after three years. Stephens is not bound to a new state law signed into effect in March that revokes licenses permanently for drivers convicted of four or more OWI offenses because he was arrested before the law took effect.
