Posted on 04/23/2005 6:59:39 AM PDT by gorush
He'll lose his license for six months and pay a fine, but State Sen. Russ Decker will keep a drunk driving arrest off his record.
The Wausau area democrat will pay a $250 fine as part of a plea deal in connection with his drunk driving arrest in Middleton last month.
Decker's attorney agreed he had a blood-alcohol content slightly above the legal limit when he was arrested, but the OWI charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
After his arrest, Decker, who is a senator for the 29th district near Schofield, issued a statement saying he deeply regrets "driving while impaired."
"I used bad judgment," the statement reads. "I cooperated fully with law enforcement officials and will continue to do so through the legal process. I would like to sincerely apologize to my family, the people of the 29th Senate district and my colleagues."
He is the third state official facing drunken driving charges in the recent past.
State Rep. Frank Boyle pleaded no contest to the charge. Maple Bluff police picked up the Superior Democrat Dec. 5 after he got his car hung up on a concrete parking barrier while trying to get home.
Squad car video shows Boyle stumbling badly while trying to walk a straight line. Maple Bluff police said Boyle had a blood alcohol level of 0.18. The state's legal limit is 0.08.
State Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager was cited for drunken driving in February after she drove a state-owned car off the road and into a Dodge County ditch en route from Madison to her Fond Du Lac home. She had been out drinking at a Madison bar and said she only had two glasses of wine. Her blood alcohol level was .12.
Now, that's funny.
Try more than double the legal limit.
I wouldn't expect MADD to get too mad about a politician getting a DUI removed from his record.
I wouldn't hold my breath for a reply, but would love to hear if you do.
As a former highway patrol officer who arrested over 4,000 dui's, I was told by an expert for the prosecution:
If your guy is .18 or higher, he is an alcoholic.
For the vast majority of us who drink socially, 0.18 would mean we're completely falling down, drooling on ourselves blotto.
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."
wisconsin ping
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