CF man sentenced to five years prison for OWI 8, 9, 10

Chris Vetter, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

CHIPPEWA FALLS — A rural Chippewa Falls man who was convicted of his eighth, ninth, and tenth offenses of driving under the influence was sentenced Wednesday to serve a five-year prison sentence.

James W. Stanek II, 59, 18053 Highway X, pleaded guilty in February in Chippewa County Court of OWI-8 and he pleaded no contest to OWI-9 and OWI-10.

On Wednesday, Judge Steve Gibbs ordered the prison sentence, along with four years of extended supervision. He was given credit for 27 days already served between the three offenses. He also must pay $2,296 in court costs and fines. Stanek’s driver’s license was permanently revoked, and he must submit a DNA sample.

According to court records, Stanek was apprehended for driving under the influence four times between May 2021 and September 2021. Stanek had already entered a plea to the OWI-7th offense last November. All other offenses he has been charged with, ranging from possession of meth to bail jumping, were read-in and dismissed.

According to a report from the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy observed Stanek driving on Highway X in the town of Lafayette at 11:16 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2021, and knew that Stanek had a revoked license.

“He approached Stanek and observed signs of impairment, consistent with drug use,” retired Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said at the time.

Stanek had a 0.0 blood-alcohol level on a preliminary breath test, but he was arrested because of apparent drugs in his system, and was transported to the Chippewa County Jail, Kowalczyk said.

Stanek was convicted of his sixth drunken-driving offense in 2009 in Dunn County Court. He has been arrested on four separate incidents this year, and all appear to involve driving while having drugs — not alcohol — in his system. He was arrested May 14, 2021, in the town of Lafayette for his seventh OWI offense, and arrested again by the Chippewa Falls police on July 12, 2021, for his eighth OWI, court records show.

On July 24, 2021, officers arrested Stanek at a crash scene on Highway J, near 50th Ave., in the town of Lafayette, and that became his ninth OWI offense.

In 2015, Stanek was convicted of second-degree recklessly endangering safety in Chippewa County Court, and was ordered to serve six months in jail.