By Shereen Siewert
A Hatley man is facing felony drunken driving charges after he allegedly left the scene of a two-vehicle crash, telling police he “didn’t stop because he didn’t think he needed to,” according to court documents.
Brian Gureski, 57, faces charges of fifth offense drunken driving and hit and run in Marathon County Circuit Court. During an initial appearance Wednesday, Jan. 15, a judge ordered Gureski held on a $2,000 cash bond and ordered him not to consume alcohol.
The alleged victim reported the crash at about 4:12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 on Hwy. 29 in the town of Norrie. The woman told police her vehicle was struck by another vehicle and the driver left the scene. A DNR warden observed the vehicle traveling on Hwy. 29 before turning northbound on Duncan Road and said the vehicle was swerving from side to side, court documents state.
A Marathon County deputy located the driver, identified as Gureski, who allegedly admitted drinking a “few” rum and Cokes at a Shawano County bar.
Police say Gureski failed field sobriety tests and was taken to a local hospital for a chemical test of his blood. Test results are pending, but a preliminary breath sample showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.238 percent, according to court documents.
Gureski was previously convicted of OWI in 1998, 2000, 2010 and in 2013.
A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 21. Gureski remains jailed as of Wednesday evening.
