Man charged with fourth OWI, fleeing an officer
A 65-year-old Waterloo, Iowa, man has been charged in Crawford County Circuit Court with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (fourth offense), operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration (fourth offense) and attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer.
Donald Dean Hinrichs faces up to 4.5 years in prison and $12,000 in fines if convicted of all counts.
According to the criminal complaint, a Prairie du Chien police officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Hinrichs’ vehicle at 1:45 a.m. on May 23 because the vehicle was operating with its headlights on high and over the centerline.
Hinrichs then led officers on a high speed chase and was eventually caught in Grant County, according to the complaint.
Hinrichs was taken to Crossing Rivers Health in Prairie du Chien and had such extreme difficulty walking that a wheelchair was necessary to transport him into the hospital, the complaint said.
According to the Wisconsin State Laboratory report, Hinrichs’ blood alcohol concentration was .197.