Marijuana cited in OWI-7 charge

EAU CLAIRE — A man police say was driving after smoking marijuana made his initial appearance in court Tuesday.

Mark Clark, 63, Eau Claire, faces charges of OWI-7, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft. He was pulled over Nov. 1 after an officer ran his license plate and found his registration was suspended due to failure to pay fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Clark smelled strongly of marijuana and had bloodshot eyes when he was stopped. He acknowledged the registration was suspended, but said he was on his way to work.

Clark said he smoked marijuana for pain relief and admitted having smoked some earlier in the afternoon. He failed field sobriety tests.

After he was taken into custody officers found a purse in his car. While Clark said the owner had left it at his workplace and that he was trying to return it, the owner said otherwise. She told officers she knew Clark and that she had not left it behind. That led to the theft charge.

Clark's six prior OWI convictions come from Georgia and Iowa, along with Wisconsin.

During Tuesday's appearance the court set a $2,500 signature bond for Clark. He may not consume alcohol or other drugs while the case is pending, and must comply with pretrial monitoring. His next court appearance is Dec. 19.