A four-time convicted drunken driver has been charged with an alleged fifth offense of operating while intoxicated after his arrest in Burlington last week.
Brian L. Mehring, 50, of Kansasville, was charged July 11 with OWI – fifth offense, a Class H felony, in Racine County Circuit Court.
He was arrested July 9 by a City of Burlington police officer who noticed he was driving a vehicle that had its registration suspended for a damage judgment.
After pulling Mehring’s vehicle over on North Dodge Street, the officer noted in a report that Mehring had bloodshot eyes and the odor of alcohol on his breath.
The officer asked Mehring if he had been drinking and he allegedly replied that he had consumed an alcoholic drink 90 minutes prior to being pulled over.
The officer then ran a record check on Mehring and learned his driver’s license carried a restriction limiting him to no more than .02 blood alcohol concentration while driving. The officer also learned that Mehring had four prior convictions for drunken driving.
After administering field sobriety tests, the officer took a breath sample from Mehring that allegedly registered .075 BAC.
The complaint further alleges that Mehring initially refused to submit to a blood test before the officer obtained a search warrant to compel him to provide a blood sample.
In addition to the felony charge, Mehring is charged with two misdemeanors – refusing to submit to an alcohol test and non-registration.
A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for July 17. In the meantime, Mehring was ordered by the court not to drive, not to possess or consume alcoholic beverages, and to submit to alcohol testing.
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