An Ogdensburg man is in jail on a $10,000 cash bond after deputies arrested him at the scene of a crash.
Deneil B. Smith, 53, is charged with a fifth drunken driving offense, operating after revocation and two counts of felony bail jumping.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, Waupaca County sheriff’s Deputy Sara Besel responded to a 911 call about a vehicle in a ditch on County Trunk E north of Casey Road in the town of Waupaca.
When Besel arrived, she spoke to the woman who had called 911. The woman said she spoke with the driver who seemed intoxicated.
The vehicle was in some light brush and tall grass about 30 feet off the roadway.
Besel reported noticing the strong aroma of alcohol through the open window and that the driver had slurred speech.
When she asked him for his driver’s license, he handed her a yellow and black utility knife.
“I advised him that that was not his identification,” Besel reported. “I asked him if he had his wallet. He handed me the utility knife again.”
The driver was eventually identified as Smith.
When Besel asked Smith to exit the vehicle, he had difficulty opening the door because it was locked.
Besel helped Smith out of the vehicle after she used his fob to unlock the door.
According to the criminal complaint, Smith was unsteady on his feet and required the help of two deputies to make it up the embankment of the ditch and back to the road.
A preliminary breath test indicated that Smith had a 0.32 blood alcohol content.
Smith has three prior drunken driving convictions.
He was charged with a fourth OWI on July 23 and released from custody after posting a $500 cash bond.
Conditions of his bond included that he comply with the requirements of the jail’s daily alcohol monitoring program.
During the first 16 days of October, Smith either failed to take the test or blew positive for alcohol every day except one.