GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Village of Hobart President Richard Heidel was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated on Friday and has been charged with a misdemeanor criminal traffic offense of operating while intoxicated, third offense.
He’ll be back in court on February 26 for a pre-trial conference, according to court records.
In an email sent to Fox 11 News, Heidel apologized for the incident:
I take full responsibility for my conduct and I am terribly sorry that my actions put others at risk. Fortunately, no one else was involved and no one was injured. Words of sorrow and contrition are never enough; one’s actions are what really speak. I’ve always been honest in admitting that I’m a recovering alcoholic and have been for many years with many good years of sobriety behind me. Like most diseases, sometimes the individual comes out of remission or relapses. Now I’m returning to my recovery program to help me lead a completely sober life again, a day at a time.
Police were dispatched for a car in the ditch on Riverdale Drive, facing on-coming traffic, according to the complaint.
About 40 minutes prior to the crash, Heidel says he had a beer.
Due to the inclement weather, the field sobriety tests were performed at the hospital.
Heidel is described in the complaint as swaying back and forth, having trouble maintaining his balance, and needing assistance to prevent him from falling over.
No results are cited from a blood sample that was taken and no mention of a preliminary breath test is included in the complaint.
Heidel would be fined between $600 and $2,000 and jailed for 45-days to one-year if convicted.
He has previous drunk driving convictions from incidents that took place in 1997 and 2005.
