By Shereen Siewert
A 61-year-old Antigo man is facing charges of sixth-offense operating while intoxicated in Marathon County Circuit Court following a traffic stop June 29.
Robert J. Merrill was arrested after a deputy pulled his vehicle over just after 4:30 p.m. on Saturday on CTH Y in the town of Harrison. Police say Merrill crossed the center line and swerved into the southbound lane prior to pulling onto the shoulder of the road.
Merrill, who told the deputy he had been visiting a family member who was camping at the Eau Claire Dells, allegedly failed field sobriety tests before submitting a breath sample. The preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.176 percent, nearly nine times higher than the .02 percent restriction on Merrill’s license due to his five prior convictions.
Court documents state Merrill was driving without insurance and did not have a valid drivers license at the time of his arrest. His prior convictions were in 1993, 1994, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
Merrill is free on a signature bond. He is due in court Aug. 5 for a preliminary hearing.
