September 11, 2017 at 3:43 p.m.
Arbor Vitae man charged with 11th OWI
Trimble was out on bond on drunk driving charge in Oneida County
Arbor Vitae man charged with 11th OWI
Timothy J. Trimble was also charged with felony bail jumping, misdemeanor disorderly conduct and operating while revoked in connection with an incident Aug. 12 in Lac du Flambeau.
According to the police report attached to the criminal complaint, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police was approached by a witness who said they saw Trimble act in disorderly manner while inside the Tribal Smoke Shop. The witness then directed the officer to Trimble's car, which was parked in the shop's parking lot. The witness also told the officer that Trimble was exhibiting signs of intoxication.
According to the report, the officer made contact with Trimble and asked him if the allegations made by the witness were true. Trimble denied that he made inappropriate statements to the shop clerk and denied that he was driving the vehicle in which he was sitting.
The officer then asked him for his car keys while he went inside to talk to the clerk. Trimble handed them over.
After the clerk confirmed the witness' account, the officer went back outside and confronted Trimble. The report alleges that Trimble refused to perform field sobriety tests or submit to a breathalyzer. He was then placed under arrest on suspicion of OWI and disorderly conduct.
Trimble was taken to Howard Young Medical Center for an evidentiary blood draw and medical clearance for a health issue for which he complained. He refused to submit voluntarily to the blood draw without first speaking with his attorney, forcing the officer to obtain a search warrant from Vilas County judge Neal A. Nielsen.
While awaiting the search warrant, the tribal officer learned that Trimble has eight prior OWI convictions, an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in regards to a ninth charge in Illinois, as well as the pending case in Oneida County filed March 23.
After the blood draw, Trimble was transported to the Vilas County Jail.
He had a bail bond hearing on Aug. 14 before Nielsen, who set a $50,000 cash bond with conditions that he not consume intoxicants or enter taverns.
The Oneida County case stems from an arrest on March 22 when a Woodruff bartender contacted police to report that an allegedly intoxicated Trimble had left the establishment driving in the direction of Minocqua.
A Minocqua police officer located and stopped the vehicle as it was pulling into the River Valley Bank parking lot a short time later.
The officer's report states Trimble was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred.
Trimble made his first appearance before Branch I Judge Patrick O'Melia on March 23. At the hearing, he told O'Melia he had not yet been convicted of his 9th OWI, which allegedly occurred in Illinois.
Trimble told the judge he was out on a $7,500 cash bond in that case and was due to appear there April 4.
O'Melia set a $15,000 cash bond with conditions that Trimble not consume intoxicants or enter taverns.
Pretrial conferences in both cases are set for Oct. 17.
Trimble remains in the Vilas County Jail.
If convicted of either of the class E felonies, he faces up to 15 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of four years.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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