How does 1 person rack up 10 OWIs, and how could it have been prevented?
CHRIS RICKERT
Updated
States are ranked by drunken driving fatalities per 100,000 residents. This rate is listed up to its first decimal point, but the exact ranking of states was determined from the total rate calculation, which did not result in ties.
When a Wisconsin state trooper investigating a crash along Interstate 94 noticed Eugene O. Trimble walking along the highway earlier this year, the Madison man smelled of intoxicants, was slurring his speech and had bloodshot eyes.
Notifying people that a loved one has died from a preventable crash is “one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to do,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.
Finding the right balance between addiction treatment and accountability remains an enduring challenge for law enforcement, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said.
With effective case management, OWI treatment courts like those offered in Dane County can reduce repeat drunken driving. But that option is typically no longer available after a person’s fifth OWI.
La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Elliott Levine runs one of the few treatment courts in Wisconsin for people with five or more OWIs. Early results from the court, which started in 2022, is encouraging, Levine said.
With effective case management, OWI treatment courts like those offered in Dane County can reduce repeat drunken driving. But that option is typically no longer available after a person’s fifth OWI.
Notifying people that a loved one has died from a preventable crash is “one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to do,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.
Finding the right balance between addiction treatment and accountability remains an enduring challenge for law enforcement, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said.
La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Elliott Levine runs one of the few treatment courts in Wisconsin for people with five or more OWIs. Early results from the court, which started in 2022, is encouraging, Levine said.
