Drunk Driver Tells Friend, 'I'm Going to Jail' In Front of Police

A man snagged his fourth OWI offense after he'd been drinking in downtown Milwaukee and the driver who called to report him said he not only was unable to stay in his lane on Interstate 43, but he hit the median. 

According to the report:

Fox Point police received a 911 call just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 8 from someone on I-43 reporting a drunk driver unable to stay in their lane and who had hit the median. 

An officer caught up with a minivan matching the description provided by the caller. The van pulled into RiverPoint Shopping Center, stopping at McDonald's, then the Open Pantry gas station.

The officer pulled up and went to talk to the driver, but he had already gotten out of his van and was standing outside. His eyes were glassy and dilated and he smelled like alcohol the report said. He told police he was coming from downtown Milwaukee, but his speech was slurred, slow and deliberate while answering the officer’s questions.

Officers told the driver he was going to have to complete a field sobriety test and police overheard him on the phone telling someone he was “going to jail.” He had there prior convictions for OWI and a restriction that he couldn't operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol greater than 0.02.

After performing poorly on the field sobriety tests, the driver declined to complete a preliminary breath test.

He was arrested for OWI-fourth offense. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital for a blood draw. During booking at the station he declined the intoximeter saying, “I gave a blood sample.” He was cited for OWI.

He is being charged in Milwaukee County Court with OWI-fourth offense, a misdemeanor, since his last OWI arrest date, without conviction, was more than five years ago.