Two Waupaca men with multiple drunken driving convictions were recently arrested in separate incidents and charged with felony OWI.
Daniel E. Diedrich, 50, was charged with a seventh offense and operating after revocation after he was arrested in Waupaca.
At about 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, Waupaca Police Officer Paul Benzschawel was dispatched to the Village Inn on West Fulton Street after a caller reported a hit-and-run crash in the parking lot.
When he arrived, Benzschawel met with a hotel guest who said a red Dodge coupe backed into his truck then left the hotel. The car belonged to a man and a woman staying in the adjacent room and the man had been driving it. According to the criminal complaint, the man spoke with the woman, who asked him not to call the police.
While Benzschawel was speaking with the man, the red car pulled into the parking lot, then quickly left. Benzschawel called dispatch and pursued the car. The officer recognized the driver as Diedrich from prior contacts.
Diedrich pulled into the nearby Kwik Trip, where Benzschawel took him into custody.
Police report that a preliminary breath test indicated that Diedrich had a 0.113 blood-alcohol level.
The incident also resulted in Diedrich being cited for hit-and-run, failure to notify the police of an accident, failure to wear a seat belt and refusing to take a blood-alcohol test after arrest.
Diedrich was convicted of a fifth drunken driving offense in Green Lake County in 2003 and sentenced to 14 months in state prison. He was convicted of a sixth offense in 2004 in Waupaca County, placed on four years of probation and ordered to spend 345 days in jail. His license was revoked and has not since been reinstated.
In June 2006, Diedrich was convicted of burglary in Waupaca County and sentenced to three years in prison. That same year, he was convicted of multiple counts of burglary and theft in Waushara County and sentenced to five years in prison.
Benjamin J. Stilp, 41, was charged with an eighth drunken driving offense after being arrested on U.S. Highway 45.
Wisconsin State Trooper Jim Binder was parked at the Citgo station in Bear Creek when he noticed a red pickup truck with a loud exhaust and a driver who was not wearing his seat belt.
When he pulled the truck over, Binder saw an open can of beer in the center console and a 12-pack of beer on the front passenger seat, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, Stilp told Binder he drank about 12 beers and some Amaretto.
A preliminary breath test indicated that Stilp had a 0.17 blood-alcohol level.