By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A 47-year-old Edgar man is facing felony drunken driving charges after a preliminary breath test showed alcohol levels more than 10 times his legal limit.
Dennis M. Zielinski, has a 0.02 percent alcohol restriction for driving due to his four prior OWI convictions. But on April 7, after allegedly failing field sobriety testing, a breath test marked his BAC at 0.232 percent, according to court documents.
Police were dispatched late the night of April 6 to Hwy. 153 just east of Eau Pleine Park Road in the Town of Emmett for a report of an erratic driver who then drove into the ditch. When deputies arrived, they discovered a full-size Ford truck in the south ditch of Hwy. 153 with Zielinski behind the wheel, court documents state. Deputies said Zielinski appeared to be “trying to sleep” in the vehicle when approached.
Police say Zielinski admitted to having alcohol and appeared not to know where he was driving from and could not state his full address. Zielinski allegedly appeared confused, failed to respond to most questions, did not know his phone number and repeatedly told deputies “I love you” while the investigation progressed.
Zielinski faces charges filed April 8 of fifth-offense OWI, a felony. He is free on a $5,000 cash bond with a hearing set for June 5.
His most recent prior conviction was in 2013, according to court records.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
