Man sentenced to five years for seventh DWI

A 41-year-old man convicted of seventh-offense driving while intoxicated by an Ozaukee County jury after being arrested for swerving across I-43 in the Town of Saukville in 2022 was sentenced to five years in prison last week.

Jesse C. Kienbaum of New Holstein was also sentenced by Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain to five years of extended supervision following his incarceration during a Sept. 2 hearing.

Kienbaum was arrested on Sunday, March 13, 2022, after an Ozaukee County sheriff’s deputy was sent at 10:50 p.m. to investigate a report of a vehicle swerving across I-43 and nearly causing an accident near East Sauk Road. 

The deputy spotted the vehicle and noticed it was traveling from the right shoulder to the left lane and toward the median, then swerving back into the traffic lane.

The deputy stopped the vehicle, which was being driven by Kienbaum, on Highway 57 and noticed his pupils were constricted and his speech slurred, according to a criminal complaint.

During field sobriety tests, Kienbaum struggled to keep his balance and was swaying. At one point, Kienbaum began hopping toward traffic, so the tests were discontinued for his safety.

A preliminary breath test indicated Kienbaum had not been drinking, but a blood test later revealed he had marijuana and a cocaine metabolite called benzoylecgonine in his system, the complaint states.

A jury found Kienbaum guilty after deliberating for about 30 minutes during a one-day trial last month.

According to court records, Kienbaum has been convicted of operating while intoxicated six times between 2004 and 2015 in the City of Kiel and Calumet and Sheboygan counties.

During last week’s sentencing hearing, Cain revoked Kienbaum’s driver’s license for three years and ordered him to have an ignition interlock device on his vehicle for three years.