By Shereen Siewert
A 55-year-old Wausau man is facing his fifth drunken driving offense after a preliminary test showed he was driving with a blood alcohol concentration seven times his allowed limit and meth was discovered in his vehicle.
Rothschild police stopped Randy W. Starkey at about 10:45 p.m. on April 16 when he was headed south on Bus. Hwy. 51 near Hwy. 29 for failure to display registration plates on his vehicle.
Starkey, who is not in custody, is being summoned into court on Aug. 2 for an initial appearance. The charges were filed June 16 in Marathon County Circuit Court.
According to court documents, Starkey emitted a strong odor of intoxicants, prompting police to administer a preliminary breath test. Police say Starkey could not perform standard sobriety tests prior to the PBT due to health issues.
The breath test showed a result of 0.14 percent, according to court documents. Starkey is limited to a 0.02 percent concentration due to his four prior convictions. The legal limit for driving is typically 0.08 percent in Wisconsin.
Police say they also discovered marijuana and methamphetamine in Starkey’s possession.
Starkey’s prior convictions spanned from 1996 to 2003, court records show. He faces up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted of his fifth OWI offense.
