A felony drunken driving charge was filed against a man who stopped his car at an intersection, left his vehicle, and asked a deputy why he was being followed.
Ralph J. Noonan, 42, Almond, is charged in Waupaca County with a fifth drunken driving offense.
At 2:46 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, Deputy Dan Lewinski was on U.S. Highway 10 when he suspected the driver of the pickup truck in front of him was intoxicated.
Lewinski followed the truck after it turned onto Erickson Road in Farmington, then onto Butts Drive.
At the intersection of Butts Drive and State Highway 54, the truck stopped and the driver exited his vehicle and walked back toward the squad car.
The driver, identified as Noonan, told Lewinski he wanted to know why he was being followed and that he did not realize the vehicle behind him was a squad car.
According to the criminal complaint, Noonan said he had consumed a couple of beers. Due to four prior alcohol-related convictions, Noonan is restricted to a 0.02 blood-alcohol level when he operates a vehicle.
After Noonan failed to pass field sobriety tests to Lewinski’s satisfaction, he was taken to the hospital for a blood draw.