MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office reports 18 OWI arrests over the St. Patrick's Day weekend.
Among the arrested was a Franklin man with eight prior OWI's, and a Milwaukee man with five prior OWI's. Three other repeat OWI offenders and 13 first-time OWI offenders were also arrested.
The arrests were made during "Operation Drive Sober crackdown" which took place between Friday, March 16 at 4 p.m. and Monday, March 19 at 6 a.m. The crackdown was enacted by Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt for the second time this month.
A 58-year-old Franklin man with eight prior OWI's was arrested with a blood-alcohol level of .118, nearly double the illegal limit. The Sheriff's Office says empty beer cans were found inside the man's car and he did not have the interlock ignition device he was required to have on his vehicle. He now faces a felony and ten years in prison.
A 48-year-old Milwaukee man with five prior OWI convictions was also arrested on Saturday, March 17 around Midnight. Deputies attempted to pull over the man for speeding and unsafe lane deviations on 86th Street near Northbound Helena. The driver did not stop and when Deputies attempted to pull him over again at 88th Street. He later rammed into the squad car. Authorties later found the car abandoned on 80th and Casper St. A short time later, Deputies went to the home of the man registered to the plates and found the owner of the vehicle -- who was intoxicated. The man refused to take a PBT test.
“Appalling – a drunken driver without a valid license, and both drivers without the sense not to drink and drive, and without the moral courage to stop instead of flee our deputies," Sheriff Schmidt said of the two multiple offenders. "HELP ME CHANGE THE CULTURE! ENOUGH!"
Another man tried to flee the deputy after being pulled over. Police say was pulled over on Saturday, March 17, at about 3:45 p.m. after being spotted on I-94 eastbound near 27th Street, tried to flee the deputy. The deputy pulled the man over for unsafe driving and expired registration. While in custody, the man told authorities he did not want to go to jail because he had other OWI convictions.
The Operation Drive Sober Campaign has resulted in 1899 Repeat Offenders Since January 2010.
