Greenfield man accused of driving drunk; faces 7th OWI conviction
GREENFIELD, Wis. - A 50-year-old Greenfield man is accused of driving drunk and resisting police during a traffic stop on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The accused is John Gonzales – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence - 7th, 8th or 9th offense
- Resist officer - failure to stop vehicle
- Obstructing an officer
According to the criminal complaint, a Greenfield police officer was patrolling near 56th and Forest Home around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11. He spotted a car traveling westbound on Forest Home with a flat front passenger tire. The officer activated his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop -- and the car "turned into the wrong lanes of traffic on W. Howard Avenue and briefly came to a stop," the complaint says. The car then "turned right over a curb and into the median, then traveling across the eastbound lanes of traffic and then into the South Sunset Square apartment complex." The complaint says the officer saw the car accelerate and then stop in front of the complex.
The complaint says the officer observed the driver of the car, identified as Gonzales, get out of the vehicle and flee on foot. Gonzales "eventually collapsed towards the ground and his glasses struck the pavement causing a laceration to his left eyebrow," the complaint says. The defendant was taken into custody.
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The officer noted Gonzales "had an extremely strong odor of an intoxicating beverage coming from the defendant's breath," the complaint says. The officer also indicated Gonzales had a suspended driver's license, six prior OWI convictions, and an open warrant with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
The officer was not able to conduct a standardized field sobriety test with the defendant, the complaint says. After being taken to St. Luke's Medical Center for an evidentiary test, the complaint says Gonzales "became irate and began to argue with medical staff at the hospital."
Gonzales made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Cash bond was set at $2,000 -- and he was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 19.