Second- and Third-Time Suspected Drunken Drivers Arrested

Two drivers were arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of drunken driving, one for his second time and the other for his third. Their earlier arrests resulted in convictions.

They had very different reactions to their arrests.

According to police reports:

At 3:49 a.m. Saturday, a 28-year-old West Bend man was arrested for drunken driving, third offense, after he ran a flashing red light at Glenview and Harwood avenues in front of a patrol officer.

He smelled moderately of alcohol and admitted to the officer he had drunk three or four beers earlier in the night, but said had stopped drinking at 1:30 a.m. and felt OK to drive.

He spoke clearly and agreed readily to a field sobriety test. He began fairly well but performed with deteriorating dexterity and articulation until he could not reliably count to six.

Meanwhile, the Wauwatosa police officer learned that the suspect had two prior OWI convictions. With probable cause to take him into custody again, the officer informed the suspect he was under arrest.

After having been highly cooperative before, the man became extremely belligerent after his arrest, hurling vulgarities at officers and saying, “All right, buddy, enjoy the lawsuit.”

The suspect then feigned a medical emergency at the police station in an apparent attempt to be admitted to the hospital. When Fire Department paramedics found nothing wrong with him, he began babbling about "Rachel, where's Rachel?" His mental disorientation ploy did not get him a ride to the Milwaukee County Mental Health Facility, either.

When it became clear that he was not going to be leaving police custody until he had been booked for a third OWI, he resorted to his earlier tactic of flinging the foulest sort of invective and insults against police officers.

He refused to perform a breath test and fought and cursed officers more when taken for a mandatory blood draw.

'Literally' not fit to drive

At 2:18 a.m., a 31-year-old Wauwatosa man was arrested for his second drunken driving offense after he was stopped for driving erratically on West State Street east of the Village.

A patrol officer who spotted him veering repeatedly over the center line ran his registration and plate, which came back: suspended for unpaid parking tickets; expired in 2007; and “no vehicle associated.”

The officer decided a stop was well in order and pulled him over in the 1200 block of North 68th Street.

It didn’t take long in the ensuing conversation for the swaying driver to admit, “Literally… like… I’ve had too much to drink…” and that this was a “stupid (expletive) mistake” on his part.

He performed very poorly on sobriety tests, blew a .15 blood alcohol concentration and was booked without incident.