A 48-year-old Mount Pleasant man facing his sixth drunk driving charge was a no-show in court Thursday.
Gary Gross was supposed to have his initial appearance at 1:30 p.m. Thursday to face two felonies; sixth offense operating while intoxicated and sixth offense operating with a prohibited blood alcohol concentration. If he is convicted, Gross faces up to 12 years in prison and/or up to $20,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court, Caledonia police officers on patrol Aug. 2 observed a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Olympia Brown Elementary School. They made contact with the driver – Gross – and determined he might be drunk. They asked him to pull his vehicle onto the shoulder of 5-1/2 Mile Road so they could speak to him.
Police say Gross failed field sobriety tests and couldn’t answer if he’d been drinking or where he’d been. He refused to submit to a breathalyzer but after he was in custody he did say he would allow a legal blood draw. The results of the blood draw were available Aug. 23 and indicated that Gross had a blood alcohol concentration of .148, nearly double the legal limit of .08.
Gross was mailed copies of his charges and a mandatory court date, but he was not in court Thursday to face those charges.
Online court records do not yet indicate if there will be a warrant issued for Gross’ arrest.