Thomas Klingbeil (Photo courtesy Winnebago County Sheriff's Office)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Thomas Klingbeil was charged with his seventh drunken driving offense after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a telephone pole Monday. When his spouse was asked where Klingbeil was coming from, the spouse named a bar, adding “he is usually drunk.”
Klingbeil, 50, made an initial court appearance Monday, where a $5,000 cash bond was set. He returns to court May 7 for a preliminary hearing, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint, police were advised of a vehicle-vs.-telephone crash Monday about 6:45 p.m. in the town of Black Wolf. A witness said the motorist left the scene, but among the debris left from the crash was a license plate.
While at the scene, Klingbeil’s husband arrived, saying Klingbeil had called him to say he was in crash. That’s when the husband told police Klingbeil is usually drunk.
At his residence, Klingbeil denied being in a crash, but had facial injuries.
“The Defendant was asked if he had anything to drink and he refused to answer,” the complaint states.
He refused to do a field sobriety test. Later, a preliminary breath test taken at the hospital showed a BAC of .115. A blood draw was performed but no results are quoted in the complaint.
Because of his previous convictions, Klingbeil’s allowable BAC was .02, not the standard .08.
He was also issued a citation for failing to keep his vehicle under control.
It appears Klingbeil had a valid driver’s license, as there are no charges or citations for driving without one.
Klingbeil was convicted for previous OWI-related offenses on April 1, 1995; Sept. 24, 1997; April 30, 2005; July 14, 2007; Aug. 4, 2008; and June 3, 2012.
For the 2012 offense, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and placed on extended supervision for three years. His license was revoked for three years, as well.
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