WATERFORD — A traffic stop for speeding early Friday morning eventually led to the arrest of a 42-year-old Waterford man for his fourth operating while intoxicated (OWI) offense.
If convicted of the felony charge, James T. White, 405 Racine St., faces a maximum possible prison term of six years and a $10,000 fine. White made his initial appearance Friday afternoon in Racine County Circuit Court for this fourth OWI offense and remains in custody on a $1,500 cash bond.
White is due back in court on Nov. 3, for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.
The criminal complaint: OWI 4th offense
A police officer observed a vehicle that appeared to be speeding southbound on Highway 164 in the Town of Waterford at about 1:57 a.m. The officer got behind White’s vehicle and observed him immediately pull into a gas station.
The officer observed White exit the vehicle, pump gas, clean his windows and “mill around his vehicle for a while,” the complaint states. After the officer left the area, he returned and saw the defendant pull into the parking lot of a closed business on Big Bend Road, then exit and use his phone for several minutes.
After the officer entered the parking lot, he made contact with White to ask why he was in the parking lot of a closed business. At that time, the officer noted White’s speech was slurred and he could smell a moderate odor of intoxicants.
White stated he had been bartending that night and was coming home when he noticed his brakes were so bad that parked and called his wife to come and pick him up. He said he had consumed one White Claw at around 10:30 p.m. and stopped working at 12:30 a.m.
After a series of field sobriety tests, White was taken into custody for OWI. A preliminary breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.117. A blood draw also was taken at Aurora Hospital in Burlington. Results of that test were not included in the criminal complaint.
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