A man was taken into Wisconsin police custody on Feb. 4 after he was accused of drunk driving. Authorities reportedly noticed that his vehicle was missing a tire, resulting in sparks from the metal wheel hub grinding against the pavement. This drunk driving offense marked his ninth DUI.
The 47-year-old man’s vehicle was stopped by a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper in St. Croix County at approximately 12:27 a.m. The vehicle was stopped near the off-ramp at Interstate 94 westbound exit 2. The trooper said that they observed sparks being emitted by the vehicle while it was driving. When the driver gave his information, it was discovered that he had eight previous drunk driving convictions.
Being accused of drunk driving can have serious consequences even before a person is convicted. For example, people could potentially lose their driving privileges, making it difficult to get to and from work. Additionally, this could cause them to lose their job, especially if their job required them to do a lot of driving. If they are convicted and they have prior convictions, they could face a prison sentence.
There are several defense strategies that a criminal law attorney could utilize depending on the specifics of the case. For example, the attorney may argue that the authorities did not have probable cause to pull the vehicle over. If a Breathalyzer was used, it could potentially have not been properly calibrated, meaning the results would be inaccurate.
Source: Hudson Patch, “St. Cloud Man Arrested for 9th Drunk Driving Offense – This Time in St. Croix County“, Scott Anderson, Feb. 4, 2017