Cadott man charged with eighth drunk-driving offense

CHIPPEWA FALLS — A Cadott man who crashed his vehicle into a ditch on Nov. 1 has now been charged with his eighth drunk-driving offense.

David J. Giwojna, 51, 9520 Highway EE, was charged Monday in Chippewa County Court with OWI-8. That offense now carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison.

Judge Benjamin Lane ordered Giwojna be held on a $2,000 cash bond and set a return court date for today. If Giwojna posts bond, he cannot consume alcohol or enter taverns, and is not to drive without a valid license.

According to the criminal complaint, police responded to a one-vehicle crash on Highway O in the town of Delmar. Giwojna was conscious and alert inside the vehicle.

"The interior of the ambulance smelled of intoxicating beverages," the criminal complaint states. "Giwojna was speaking with EMS personnel and his words were heavily slurred."

Giwojna had no recollection that he had been driving a vehicle or that he had put his car in the ditch. He admitted that he had consumed two beers at his house prior to driving his vehicle. Authorities checked his background and learned he had already been convicted of seven drunk-driving offenses, with the most recent one in 2016.

A preliminary breath test showed a .25 blood-alcohol level, more than three times the legal limit.

In the 2016 case, Giwojna had a .136 blood-alcohol level when he was arrested for driving a vehicle with expired tabs. Giwojna was ordered to serve one year in jail, along with three years of probation. Giwojna also was ordered to pay $2,277 in fines and court costs, and his driver's license was revoked for three years. He was required to have an ignition interlock device for one year.

Giwojna was convicted of his sixth drunk-driving offense in 2010.