‘Unusually high’ number of repeat OWI arrests over weekend, official says

MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said there was a spike in repeat drunken driver arrests this weekend.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said deputies arrested eight people suspected of impaired driving between Friday night and Sunday night, and six of them had been arrested for the same offense before.

Schaffer said the arrest number was “unusually high,” adding that most of the arrests were made on Saturday. Two suspected second-time offenders were arrested, one third-time offender, one sixth-time offender and a 10-time offender.

Gary D. Sosinsky, 39, of McFarland, was arrested on suspicion of a sixth-offense OWI after he nearly struck a child while driving through Babcock County Park in the village of McFarland, according to a news release.

A third-offense drunken driver rolled her vehicle on County Road K at Pheasant Branch Road in the town of Springfield, the sheriff’s office said. When deputies arrived, they found the 32-year-old woman hiding in the bushes near the crash scene. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Michael J. Vernig, 52, of Sun Prairie, was arrested on suspicion of his 10th violation in the town of Sun Prairie.

Schaffer said there was only one repeat offender arrested in the previous two weekends combined.

The sheriff’s office OWI task force was running a special operation cracking down on drunken driving this weekend. The last OWI task force patrol was Sept. 15, Schaffer said.

The sheriff’s office said another overtime enforcement of impaired drivers, funded by the state Department of Transportation, will be Friday.

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