Hearing on OWI-8 charges delayed

EAU CLAIRE — A woman facing two separate charges of OWI-8 missed a hearing Wednesday due to what her attorney called a scheduling conference.

Andrew Knaak told the court Pathoumma Morris, 51, Eau Claire, was in court in Fergus Falls, Minn. and asked for the status conference to be adjourned. The court granted that request, resetting the conference for Sept. 11.

Morris has been the subject of similar cases in both Eau Claire and Minnesota for several months. The Eau Claire charges originate last June when, according to the criminal complaint, Morris was behind the wheel when her vehicle went off the road and hit a traffic signal at US 12 and 10th Street West in Altoona.

Morris told emergency responders she had consumed two or three drinks before the crash. Law enforcement stayed with her at the hospital where she was treated, and reported she was difficult to understand and smelled of alcohol.

The second incident took place when Morris was pulled over for driving a vehicle without registration. The officer reported Morris’ speech was slurred and she had difficulty concentrating. That incident also saw Morris charged with possession of methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

It is unusual for a person to be charged in multiple cases alleging the same number violation for driving while intoxicated, but not without precedent. Until a person is convicted, the second charge cannot be escalated to the next step. Since Morris has seven prior convictions, both of the new charges are OWI-8 until one is resolved.

Wisconsin law escalates the penalties for multiple OWI convictions. After the third OWI, the person can be restricted to a much lower blood alcohol content. Wisconsin’s limit is .08 but the court can impose a limit of .02, approximately the equivalent of a single beer for a 200-pound man, after the third conviction.

Financial penalties increase as well, but that won’t come into play in the current cases. Wisconsin groups the seventh, eighth and ninth OWI convictions as Class F felonies, which are punishable by prison sentences of 3-12.5 years and fines of up to $25,000.