WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man charged with his 12th drunk driving offense after a fast-food worker called police pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
No trial date was set for Scott Hein, 52. He returns to court Aug. 22 for a status conference on a count of operating a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration — 10th or more offense — after being arrested March 25 in Waupaca.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called after a Hardee’s worker noticed “open intoxicants” in the car, plus Hein had slurred speech, leading to a belief he may have been intoxicated.
The officer noticed several empty beer cans and bottles in the vehicle. Hein said he had two beers in Manawa about four hours before.
While a preliminary breath test revealed a BAC of .071 — lower than the normal drunken driving standard of .08 — because of his prior convictions, Hein’s maximum allowable BAC was .02, the complaint states.
Hein had a valid driver’s license when arrested.
If convicted, Hein faces four to 14 years in prison.
He has OWI or PAC convictions in 1990, 1993, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2013.
Hein was convicted of his 11th drunken driving offense in 2013 and was sentenced to four years in prison, according to the complaint.
