By Shereen Siewert
A 36-year-old man accused of his fifth charge of operating while intoxicated was driving with his 4-year-old daughter in the back seat of his vehicle, according to court documents filed Monday in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Mark E. Pierzchalski, of Wausau, was out on bond from his fourth OWI arrest at the time he was pulled over. Court documents show he was released March 11 from the Portage County Jail on a $500 cash bond and was ordered to maintain complete sobriety.
But police say Pierzchalski was intoxicated when he was pulled over just before 5:30 p.m. April 28 on Hwy. 29 in the westbound lane, east of Hwy. 51. A Rothschild Police officer stopped Pierzchalski for an audibly defective exhaust, with a pipe nearly dragging on the roadway, according to the police report.
Police say Pierzchalski failed field sobriety tests and blamed the odor of intoxicants on his spearmint gum. He refused a breath test and was taken to a local hospital for a chemical test of his blood, the results of which are still pending. A search of his vehicle turned up several prescription drugs including hydroxyzine hydrochloride, trazadone and naltrexone hydrochloride, for which Pierzchalski appeared to have no valid prescription.
The child’s mother was called and took custody of the child.
Pierzchalski is facing charges of fifth offense OWI with a passenger younger than 16 years old, bail jumping, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and operating with a revoked license. He appeared April 29 in Marathon County Circuit Court and ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond.
A preliminary hearing is set for May 8.
