Wausau Pilot & Review
A Wausau man facing his seventh drunken driving charge following a crash this week is being held on a $20,000 cash bond, court records show.
Gregg B. Kandutsch spent three years in prison for his most recent prior OWI conviction. Now, he faces a minimum 3 1/2 years in prison and a maximum 12 1/2 years if he is convicted of the latest charge.
On Saturday, police posted a photo on the department Facebook page with comments thanking residents for reporting an alleged hit-and-run crash just before 7 a.m. on the city’s northwest side. The driver of the vehicle allegedly struck a power pole before fleeing the scene.
Minutes later, police took a call reporting a disabled vehicle in a park with the driver outside, urinating, according to the Facebook post. Based on evidence at the scene, officers connected the two and the driver was arrested.
Court records show Kandutsch was sentenced to three years in prison in 2008 after he was convicted of sixth-offense operating while intoxicated. He was also sentenced to nine months in jail consecutive to the prison sentence on charges of criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing, both of which were tied to the same case. He was ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution and lost his driver’s license for three years.
Kandutsch was formally charged Monday, after which Circuit Judge Scott Corbett ordered the cash bond. He remains behind bars as of Thursday.
A preliminary hearing is set for July 6.
