A Waupaca man who drove his car into a tree now faces felony drunken driving charges.
Jerome P. Ashley, 55, is charged with a fourth offense of operating while intoxicated and with operating after revocation.
Shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Sara Besel was dispatched to Pine Lane in the town of Dayton. A 911 caller had reported that when he returned home, he found an overturned vehicle in his yard and the driver was trapped.
When she arrived, Besel found a black GMC pickup flipped on its driver’s side. The driver, identified as Ashley, was partially out of the driver’s side window. He said he was trapped and in pain.
According to the criminal complaint, Ashley also said, “I’m drunk. I shouldn’t have been driving.”
Ashley was freed from the vehicle and flown by helicopter to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah.
After investigating the scene, Besel determined that Ashley had been traveling eastbound on Pine Lane when he failed to negotiate a curve, left the road, struck a tree and knocked over another tree.
Ashley was previously convicted of drinking and driving offenses in April 1999, June 2011 and April 2014, when his license was revoked.