Crime & Safety

'Responsible' Man Owns Up to 5th OWI

Erik L. Kettleson, 37, tells a Menomonee Falls police officer he is a responsible person who had too much to drink, according to a criminal complaint.

A 37-year-old Sussex man is accused of driving drunk for the fifth time — this time with a .168 percent blood alcohol concentration, according to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court.

Erik L. Kettleson was charged Wednesday with his fifth drunken driving offense. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Kettleson was pulled over at Townline and Mill roads in Menomonee Falls for a defective brake light at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint. The Menomonee Falls police officer noted that because of Kettleson’s previous convictions, he had a .02 percent blood alcohol concentration restriction for driving, according to a criminal complaint.

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The officer smelled a strong odor of intoxicants and noticed Kettleson had glassy eyes and slurred speech. Kettleson told the police officer he had too much to drink and was probably over his legal limit, adding that he made a mistake, the complaint states.

“I am a responsible person,” Kettleson said.

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Kettleson failed his field sobriety tests, the complaint states. He had a .168 percent blood alcohol concentration, according to a preliminary breath test.

Kettleson previously was convicted of drunken driving in February 1997, April 2001, July 2004 and May 2009.


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