Man charged with ninth OWI thought he was in Minnesota

EAU CLAIRE — A Minnesota man has been charged with his ninth OWI after a crash earlier this month.

Pierre McNeal, 49, faces charges of second degree recklessly endangering safety, OWI 9 with a passenger younger than 16 and OWI causing injury to a passenger.

According to the criminal complaint, McNeal was behind the wheel at about 3:30 a.m. June 15 when his vehicle ran over the Highway 53 roundabout and into a tree. The crash also knocked down a traffic sign. An adult woman and a 3-year-old were passengers.

All three were taken to the hospital, and officers’ attempts to speak with McNeal about what happened were not fruitful. McNeal “seemed very out of touch with reality and often responded only by mumbling.” Hospital staff said he thought he was in Minnesota.

The officers concluded McNeal was likely under the influence of drugs. Pills were found in the vehicle, as was an open bottle of tequila, and an assortment of prescription pills, marijuana and bath salts were found in the woman’s purse.

During the attempted interview, officers also noticed an ankle monitor on McNeal. That was related to his probation from Minnesota — after his eighth conviction for driving while intoxicated.

A blood sample was taken, but court records do not show its results. Nor does the complaint indicate a breath test by McNeal.

All eight of McNeal’s prior convictions are from Minnesota.

Records show McNeal remains in the Eau Claire County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

The woman whose purse contained the drugs faces three misdemeanor counts in connection with the case.