Mishawaka Mayor's son convicted for OWI gets 1 year probation and 90-day license suspension

SOUTH BEND — Magistrate Keith C. Doi accepted a plea agreement between Joseph Wood and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor 's office on Aug. 28 that allows Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood's son to avoid jail time in a misdemeanor case in which he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated-endangering a person .

Under the plea, filed in St. Joseph Superior Court 3, Wood was sentenced to 365 days in the St. Joseph County Jail, but that was suspended so that he'll instead serve the entire 365 days on probation, according to MyCase .

Wood's driver's license also has been suspended for 90 days, the prosecutor's office said, and he will continue his treatment with Oaklawn .

Public court records show a SR16 — an Abstract of Court Record form — was sent to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles , notifying the BMV that Wood had been convicted.

More: Son of Mishawaka mayor arrested on suspicion of DUI after Saturday night crash

South Bend Police arrested Wood on Sept. 23, 2023, after his vehicle hit two parked vehicles in the 900 block of Frances Street, south of Eddy Street Commons. Prior to that incident, Wood was also pulled over for speeding in Mishawaka in October 2022, but rather than arresting him, a Mishawaka Police officer drove him home. Body camera footage from the October 2022 incident shows the officer said Wood smelled of alcohol as he exited the car.

Mayor Wood released a statement on Sept. 24, 2023, that said the family is committed to getting Joseph the help and resources he needs.

The prosecutor on the case could not discuss the conviction due to professional ethics, the prosecutor's office said.

When asked if Mishawaka would issue a statement regarding Wood's sentencing, Matthew Lentsch, the city's executive director of development and governmental affairs, said, "This is a personal family matter and we're going to deal with it as such."

Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mishawaka Mayor's son convicted for OWI gets 1 year probation and 90-day license suspension