Man Charged With Fifth OWI After Passing Out at Intersection

A 25-year-old Milwaukee man is facing felony drunk driving charges after he was caught passed out behind the wheel of his car Monday at a Greenfield intersection.

Samuel J. Rinehart was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Tuesday with one count of fifth offense operating while intoxicated and one count of operating a motor vehicle after revocation of his license. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Greenfield police officer on patrol Monday saw Rinehart passed out behind the wheel of his car at the intersection of South 108th Street and West Beloit Road. The car was running and was in drive, but Rinehart had his foot on the brake pedal.

The officer woke Rinehart up, who had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. He told the officer he had a couple of beers at the Brewers game, but failed field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, which is more than twice the legal limit to drive in Wisconsin.

Rinehart was previously convicted of OWI three times in 2009 and one in 2011. He’s currently being held in Milwaukee County Jail on $1,000 bond.