Star Prairie motorist charged with 8th DWI

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Joseph L. Kohls, 48, Star Prairie, was arrested Friday by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department on the charge of operating while intoxicated, 8th offense.

According to the arrest report, St. Croix County officials sought the aid of Polk County deputies in locating an S-10 pickup that had been involved in a hit-and-run accident in Star Prairie. A license check of the suspect vehicle indicated that it was owned by Kohls and that the Star Prairie man had a suspended license.

The deputy located Kohl’s vehicle and began following it on County Road M, noting that the driver crossed the center line and that the pickup was following too closely behind another car.

According to the report, the deputy activated his lights but the vehicle failed to stop until it pulled into a driveway on County Road Y.

Field sobriety tests indicated that Kohls was under the influence, the report stated. The suspect’s blood alcohol content was allegedly measured at .23, well above the Wisconsin legal limit of .08.

Kohls was charged by the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Department with failure to notify police of an accident, no insurance and causing property damage while operating after suspension of a license.

Polk County deputies charged Kohls with OWI, 8th offense, and a probation violation.

Kohls has previously been convicted of four OWIs in St. Croix County and three in Polk County.

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