RAYMOND, WI : Franksville man charged with eighth OWI following crash on Saturday, January, 27th 2018

A Franksville man has received his eighth charge of operating while intoxicated after allegedly crashing a vehicle into a ditch along County Highway K on Saturday.

Kurt J. Baumann, 55, of the 220 block of 76th Street, is charged with felony operating while intoxicated as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors.

According to the criminal complaint:

At about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Baumann was headed west on Highway K in a Buick Lucerne when he swerved into the northern ditch, where the vehicle got stuck.

A deputy with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the scene of the wreck on Highway K, near the intersection of Highway U and 76th Street in the Town of Raymond, after a witness reported the crash. The deputy arrived to find the Lucerne in the ditch at a 45-degree angle, facing west.

The deputy alleged that he could smell alcohol on Baumann’s breath and that his eyes were glassy, his pupils were constricted and he had trouble maintaining his balance. Baumann told the deputy that he drank four beers that day, starting at 11 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, Baumann was unable to successfully pass three field sobriety tests administered by the deputy. A preliminary breath test showed that Baumann had a blood-alcohol content of 0.05.

While that number is below the legal limit of 0.08, Baumann had a restriction saying that he can’t operate a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level more than 0.02, due to seven prior operating while intoxicated convictions.

During a search of the vehicle, the deputy allegedly found an open 30-pack of Coors Light behind the driver’s seat and a total of 11 open cans of beer throughout the interior of the vehicle.

While searching the vehicle, the deputy also allegedly found two alprazolam — commonly known as Xanax — pills that Baumann reportedly told the deputy he obtained from a friend.

During a search of Baumann himself, the deputy located a white straw and a green straw, both containing a powdery substance. Baumann then allegedly admitted to snorting a line of cocaine earlier that day.

Baumann was later transported to Ascension All Saints Hospital for a legal blood draw.

Baumann was charged with his first OWI in 1990. His most recent OWI charge was in 2006.

Source :
Franksville man charged with eighth OWI following crash