Scandi man faces felony OWI

Dustin P. Christianson, 34, Scandinavia, is charged with a fourth drunken driving offense.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, Waupaca County dispatch received a 911 call from a woman who said her car had been involved in a crash.

The woman said she loaned the car to Christianson, but he was not there with her vehicle. She said she located her car using a tracking program.

Waupaca County deputies Brittany Mathewson and James Santiago were dispatched to State Highway 49 near Roosevelt Road in Iola.

Santiago reported he found the car completely blocking the northbound lane near a curve. He determined the car had been southbound when it entered the west ditch and struck a tree head-on.

Shortly before 10 p.m., a 911 caller reported there was a man in his front yard who said he had been involved in a crash.

According to the criminal complaint, the driver, identified as Christianson, said he believed he broke his ribs and possibly his arm.

Mathewson went to the caller’s home, where she found Christianson.

The deputy reported she noticed a slight aroma of alcohol and asked Christianson if he had been drinking.

Christianson replied that he had one beer at a bar, then drank three or four in the car, the complaint says.

Deputies found open beer bottles on the floor of the back seat.

Christianson is accused of refusing to perform a breath test or provide blood. A warrant was issued for a blood draw.

At the hospital, Christianson reportedly told Mathewson he threw up on the side of the road, then grabbed a beer and drank half of it while walking to a residence to get help.

In addition to the felony OWI, Christianson was cited for having open intoxicants in the car, having no car insurance, failure to keep a vehicle under control, operating while suspended, refusing to take a test for intoxication and failure to notify police of an accident.

He was released from custody after posting a $500 cash bond.

As a condition of his release, Christianson must maintain absolute sobriety and participate in the jail’s Soberlink program which allows law enforcement to monitor his alcohol consumption.