Crime & Safety

2nd OWI for Man with Almost Double the Legal Limit, Police Say

A 22-year-old Racine man faces alcohol-related charges after a two-car crash that left a woman with a broken knee.

A Racine man is facing multiple drunk driving related offenses after police say he was involved in a two-car crash in February that injured the other driver.

Jacob Francis was charged Thursday in Racine County Circuirt Court with one felony count of operating while intoxicated, second offense; one felony count of operating with prohibited alcohol concentration causing injury, second offense; and one midemeanor count of operating while revoked. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years in jail and/or up to $22,500 in fines. Because these could be subsequent convictions, Francis could get extra time tacked onto any sentence he might receive.

According to the criminal complaint, Caledonia police were dispatched to the corner of Highway 31 and Mona Drive around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 for a report of a two-car crash involving a Dodge van and a Plymouth mini-van.

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When officers arrived, they approached the van's driver who told them she had been driving north on Highway 31 when the collision occurred, but could provide no other details, the complaint reads. Police called for rescue to transport the woman to the hospital where she was diagnosed with multiple cuts and bruises, a gash on her knee and aΒ non-displaced fracture of the patella.

Police say when they approached the driver of the mini-van - later identified as Francis - he said he had also been driving north on Highway 31 when he lost control of his vehicle. They report they could smell a strong ordor of intoxicants and that Francis' eyes were red and glassy and his speech was slurred. He admitted to police that he'd had "a couple of beers" before driving.

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Francis agreed to a blood draw, and results from the state crime lab came back with .148 blood alcohol content.

The defendant was given a $2,000 signature bond and ordered to undergo random testing as well as submit to a test after each court date. His preliminary hearing on these charges is April 11.


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