Posted on 02/25/2004 5:12:22 PM PST by Indy Pendance
A breath analysis showed Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager's blood alcohol content at 0.12 percent after she ran off a highway in Dodge County Monday night, and she told the arresting officer she had taken a muscle relaxant earlier in the day.
According to Dodge County sheriff's deputies, Lautenschlager ran off the road as she was en route from Madison to her home in Fond du Lac at about 11:45 p.m. She was not injured.
Lautenschlager's breath smelled strongly of alcohol and her eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a police report said.
The incident began when Columbus Police Officer Mark Handel said he clocked Lautenschlager traveling about 30 mph in a 65 mph zone on U.S. Highway 151 about 11:25 p.m. Monday, according to Handel's report. Lautenschlager, 48, slowed to about 15 miles per hour as she passed Handel's patrol car, forcing the line of cars traveling behind her to come to a stop, according to Handel's report.
Handel caught up to Lautenschlager's car and watched it go into the ditch just north of Highway 73 in the town of Elba. He then called the Sheriff's Department because he was out of his jurisdiction.
Lautenschlager told the deputy she had a couple glasses of wine at a Madison tavern, consuming her last one at about 10 p.m. She also said she had taken a tablet of the muscle relaxant Flexeril at about 4 p.m. Flexeril, which has a therapeutic cycle of about eight hours, can enhance the effects of alcohol.
After failing several sobriety tests, the deputy administered a breath test that measured Lautenschlager's blood-alcohol content at 0.12. The state's legal limit is 0.08.
Lautenschlager then refused a blood test, saying she wanted to speak to her lawyer, according to the police report. She later agreed to the blood test but was told too much time had passed and her refusal would remain on the record.
Her husband, William Rippl, a retired Neenah police officer, was subsequently called to pick her up.
Lautenschlager was cited for first-offense drunken driving, a civil citation, and handed a $784 fine. She could also lose her license for between six and nine months.
If found guilty of refusing a blood test, Lautenschlager's license will be revoked for one year and she will be ordered to undergo alcohol counseling. A conviction on her refusal would also mean a conviction on the drunken driving charge.
Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls said Lautenschlager was cooperative during her contacts with officers. He said she was treated no differently because of her position and that she asked for no special treatment.
Lautenschlager issued a statement to Justice Department employees Tuesday apologizing for the incident.
"I am sorry to tell you that I made a terrible mistake last night," she wrote. "While driving home, I fell asleep and drove off the road, and was subsequently cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. I wish to apologize to each and every one of you for the negative impact my actions might have on the department and the public's perception of this fine institution. I am extremely embarrassed about this and know that I have disappointed many people who have put their faith in me. I wish to thank the officers of the Dodge County Sheriff's Department for their professionalism in handling this matter. I accept the consequences of and will take responsibility for my actions."
And then (great vid) tries to portray herself as a victim. Resign now, dear. Do if for the children you could have run over and killed.
Really? Odd that the Capitol-Times article made no mention of that fact...
I'm not much of a drinker in general - if I have 10 beers in a year, it's been a big year - but last spring I went with a good friend back to his home in Wales. We did a fair amount of pub-crawling, and I quickly discovered there was no pattern to how the beer would affect me - some nights, I could have 3 glasses and be fine; the next night, with the same drugs and amount of food on board and drinking the same beer, one glass would have my head spinning.
My friend did all the driving so it wasn't a problem, but it sure would have been if I had driven - I'd have killed somebody.
Bottom line: if you take certain drugs, and have even one drink, DON'T DRIVE.
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