Merrill man convicted of 6th OWI

By Shereen Siewert

A 51-year-old Merrill man who crashed his company van on Hwy. 51 north of Wausau was convicted this week of his sixth drunken driving charge.

Shane Maluegge was charged in November 2019 and was released after posting a $1,000 cash bond. On Wednesday, he pleaded no contest to the felony charge and was convicted.

Maluegge’s wife, Melissa, said her husband has taken steps to change and has been sober nearly five years, after going to inpatient treatment. He now runs AA meetings, started the Northwoods of Wisconsin alumni group and speaks at schools about addiction.”He is a good person,” Melissa told Wausau Pilot & Review, in an email.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 10 a.m. Nov. 20, 2019 on a Hwy. 51 off ramp northbound at Hwy. WW. Police say Maluegge, who called in the crash, left the scene in the same vehicle but was located at his office on North 28th Avenue. Maluegge told the officer he drove onto the shoulder, over corrected, then went into the ditch and rolled the vehicle.

Upon further questioning, Maluegge allegedly told police he had consumed alcohol early that morning but had his last beverage at about 3 a.m., seven hours before the crash. A breath test performed at the Marathon County Jail indicated a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16 percent, eight times the limit imposed on Maluegge due to his five prior OWI convictions between 1992 and 2013, court documents state.

On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Greg Strasser ordered a presentencing investigation be completed prior to determining Maluegge’s fate. A date for sentencing will be set on April 3.

A sixth-offense OWI conviction carries a presumptive minimum of a year and a half of initial confinement and a maximum 10 years in prison. Wisconsin law also calls for a 24-36 month driver license revocation and a 12-35 month ignition interlock requirement.

Maluegge could also be fined up to $25,000.