Speeder Faces 5th OWI Charge

From the Mount Pleasant Patch. A 53-year-old Racine man is facing felony drunk driving charges after he was pulled over for speeding in Mount Pleasant Friday.

Daniel M. Sprecksel was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Tuesday with one count of fifth offense operating while intoxicated and one count of disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and $11,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

At 7:36 p.m. Friday, a Wisconsin State Patrol officer was monitoring traffic on Highway 32 near the crossover from Chicory Road when she spotted Sprecksel doing 48 miles per hour in a 30 miles-per-hour speed zone. The officer was catching up with Sprecksel when she  saw him run a red light at the intersection of Highways 32 and 11, so she pulled him over.

Sprecksel smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, but denied drinking. When the officer told him she didn’t believe him, Sprecksel reportedly admitted to having one drink before driving.

The state trooper administered field sobriety tests, which Sprecksel failed. A preliminary breath test was also administered, and that showed Sprecksel had a blood alcohol level of 0.193, which is more than twice the legal limit to drive in Wisconsin.

After being placed under arrest and while being taken to the hospital, Sprecksel began to threaten officers, saying he would beat them once he got his handcuffs off.

Sprecksel was previously convicted of OWI in 1993, 1997, 2005 and 2008. He’s currently being held in Racine County Jail on $5,000 bond.