A Spooner, WI woman is facing felony charges for operating while intoxicated following a traffic stop for erratic driving.
According to the criminal complaint, on May 19, 2017, a Spooner Police Officer was dispatched after an unnamed caller reported a vehicle driving erratically in the City of Spooner. The caller reported that the vehicle had stopped at the Holiday South gas station in Spooner, WI and that the driver spoke with an employee and then got back in her vehicle and left again.
The officer located a vehicle matching the description given him by Washburn County Sheriff's Dispatchers and saw the vehicle nearly cross the center line with another vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. The vehicle then crossed the white fog line before correcting back into the lane of traffic.
The officer conducted a traffic stop and when he made contact with the driver of the vehicle, she was identified as April Schlapper, of Spooner, WI.
Schlapper reportedly admitted to the officer that she had been drinking in celebration of her birthday. The criminal complaint states that the officer could smell the odor of intoxicants emanating from Schlapper's vehicle and that her speech was slurred and her movements were slow.
Field sobriety tests were conducted with Schlapper so that the officer could determine if he could release her to drive away from the scene of the traffic stop. The complaint states that the officer observed multiple clues of intoxication during the sobriety tests. Schlapper then agreed to a preliminary breath test on the scene. The result of that test was 0.235.
Schlapper was arrested for operating while intoxicated and transported to the Spooner Emergency Room. According to the criminal complaint, Schlapper refused to give a voluntary blood sample, and the officer was granted a search warrant to obtain a sample of blood.
Charges of OWI 4th Offense, a Class H Felony, were filed against Schlapper by the Washburn County District Attorney's Office on June 7, 2017.
If convicted of this offense, Schlapper could face a maximum sentence of 6 years confinement in state prison, or a maximum fine of $10,000, or both; as well as mandatory revocation of her driver's license for a minimum of 2 years and court-ordered Alcohol & Drug Abuse Treatment.
Schlapper appeared in Washburn County Circuit Court on Monday, June 12, 2017, for an initial appearance on her charges. She is scheduled to appear again for a Preliminary hearing on July 11, 2017, at 01:30 pm.
DrydenWire.com reminds our readers that individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until convicted by a judge or jury.
Last Update: Jun 12, 2017 12:10 pm CDT
