By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A Wausau man out on bond from his 6th drunken driving arrest is now facing a 7th OWI charge, a felony, after his vehicle became stuck in a ditch late Friday on Hwy. 51 in Wausau.
A preliminary breath test showed Travis Peterson, 45, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.21 percent when he was arrested early Saturday. The legal limit for driving in Wisconsin is 0.08 percent and is lower — 0.02 percent — for Peterson due to his five prior convictions. The 6th offense OWI charge, filed April 16 in Marathon County Circuit Court, is still winding through the court system and has not yet concluded.
Peterson, who faces additional felony firearms charges in the April 2018 case, was released from jail after posting a $2,500 cash bond April 20, according to court records. He did not have a valid driver’s license when he was arrested on Saturday.
According to the police report, a Marathon County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched at 11:49 p.m. Friday to the area of Hwy. 51 and Sherman Street for a report of a vehicle in the ditch. When the deputy arrived, he found Peterson trying to get his vehicle unstuck.
Peterson, who advised the deputy he had driven to Wausau from the Tomahawk area after snowmobiling, initially admitted only to consuming one drink. But the smell of alcohol prompted the deputy to administer field sobriety tests, which Peterson allegedly failed.
Blood test results are pending.
Peterson appeared Monday in Marathon County Circuit Court, where he faces felony drunken driving and bail jumping charges. Circuit Judge Jill Falstad ordered Peterson held on a $20,000 cash bond; a preliminary hearing is set for March 13.
