APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Tobin Gilson was sentenced Tuesday to seven years, six months in prison for his 8th operating while intoxicated offense, just five months after he was sentenced for his seventh OWI.
Gilson, 52, previously pleaded no contest for the Aug. 18, 2023 arrest in Grand Chute. He tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine.
This sentence will be served at the same time as the Brown County case. In addition to the prison time, he was placed on extended supervision for five years by Judge Mark Schroeder. The 12.5 years in the prison system is the maximum allowed.
Once released, Gilson is prohibited from having a driver’s license while on extended supervision, including a ban on getting an occupational license, the judge said.
Before the sentence was issued, Gilson took responsibility for his actions. Recent treatment has been helpful, he said.
The judge noted Gilson had a pending drunk driving case when this arrest happened.
“The aggravated nature of being out on bond for that kind of incident while engaging in this conduct is not lost on this court. And it’s not something I’m going to ignore. It just isn’t,” the judge said.
Police arrived at a Grand Chute grocery store parking lot, finding Gilson driving around the lot, looking for his wallet. When police encountered him, he appeared impaired, and there was evidence of drugs. Gilson admitted to smoking meth, and said he had a prescription for the OxyContin he had taken that day, according to the criminal complaint.
In May, he was sentenced to seven years in prison after an April 8, 2023, crash in Brown County which injured two people.
Gilson also had prior drunk driving convictions for offenses on: May 12, 1990; June 17, 1994; Aug. 1, 1996; Feb. 22, 1998; Feb. 3, 2001; and Aug.16, 2008. His license was suspended at the time of the crash in Holland, according to the complaint.
Gilson was sentenced to 15 months in prison after the 2008 arrest, court records show.
Gilson is currently housed at the Racine County jail, on a contract with the state Dept. of Corrections, state records show.
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