CALEDONIA — A traffic stop for speeding on Feb. 20 in the Village of Caledonia eventually led to the arrest of a 56-year-old Racine man for his fifth operating while intoxicated (OWI) charge.
The felony OWI charge filed this week against Edward Wayne Carman carries a possible maximum prison term of 10 years and a $25,000 fine.
The criminal complaint: Traffic stop for speeding, followed by 5th OWI
A Caledonia police officer stopped Carman’s vehicle in the area of Six Mile and Elderberry roads for traveling at 59 mph in a 35 zone. When the officer made contact with Carman, he observed an odor of intoxicants from inside the vehicle, along with the defendant’s glassy, bloodshot eyes.
Carman told the officer he was coming home from work at an Oak Creek restaurant, where he had consumed two Miller Lite beers. As the officer spoke with the defendant, he observed a cup with ice and a liquid that Carman later admitted contained a cranberry and Brandy mixed drink, the complaint states.
As the defendant exited the vehicle, he allegedly lost his balance and had to be helped by the officer to avoid a fall.
A check of Carman’s prior record showed four earlier OWI convictions and a blood alcohol restriction of 0.02. After the defendant failed a series of field sobriety tests, he registered a BAC of 0.06 on a preliminary breath test and was taken into custody.
When an officer moved Carman’s vehicle, he further observed a half-finished 750ml bottle of Brandy in the center console, the complaint states.
Carman was then taken to an area hospital for a legal blood draw to determine his level of intoxication. The results of that test are pending.
Carman, who remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond, is due back in court on March 1, for a 9 a.m. preliminary hearing.
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