By Shereen Siewert
A reckless driving complaint in Rib Mountain regarding a Corvette swerving into a curb and nearly striking other people led to felony drunken driving charges this week for an Edgar man.
Steven Heidmann, 48, faces a charge of fifth offense operating while intoxicated. The charge was filed Aug. 5 in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Court filings show police responded at 2:43 p.m. Aug. 4 to the area of Parrot Lane and Rib Mountain Drive and entered the Hobby Lobby parking lot when a deputy observed the driver, later identified as Heidmann, and began to follow his vehicle on Rib Mountain Drive. The responding deputy reports that Heidmann exited the left lane of travel, veered partially into the right lane and was straddling the lane line before nearly sideswiping another vehicle.
After allegedly failing field sobriety tests, Hedimann refused a breath test and was taken to a hospital for a chemical test of his blood, police said. Those results are pending.
Heidmann, who has a restriction of 0.02 percent alcohol for driving due to his past four OWI convictions, told officers he was traveling from a casino where he had consumed a Bloody Mary and two double alcoholic beverages, according to the complaint. Court records show Heidmann was convicted of OWI twice in 2001, then again in 2004 and in 2007.
During an initial appearance Monday, Reserve Judge Thomas Caine ordered Heidmann held on a $10,000 signature bond with the first $1,000 to be paid in cash. Heidmann was freed the following day after posting the cash bond.
A preliminary hearing date has not yet been set.
