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Crash leads to felony OWI charges

Clay E. Dailey, 37, Ogdensburg, is charged with two counts of causing injury while driving intoxicated.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Whitaker was advised of a crash on County Trunk K in St. Lawrence.

The 911 caller said a woman had come to her door, bloody and intoxicated. The woman had been in an accident, and she believed her boyfriend was dead.

When he arrived at the scene of the crash, Whitaker found a vehicle in the ditch. It had rolled over and its airbags had blown out of the car. He saw a lot of blood in the vehicle, but no passengers.

Whitaker then walked around to the other side of the vehicle where he found a man lying on the ground. The man’s foot was tangled in the cord of the passenger side curtain airbag, while his other foot was trapped under the vehicle.

Whitaker initially thought the man was dead, but when he checked for a pulse, the man suddenly gasped for air and began mumbling.

The deputy told the man, later identified as Dailey, to remain perfectly still.

According to the criminal complaint, when Whitaker asked Dailey if anyone else was involved in the accident, Dailey said he did not believe the officer was in the right spot and that he had not been involved in an accident.

Two first responders arrived and took over Dailey’s treatment.

Whitaker then went to the 911 caller’s house and spoke with Dailey’s girlfriend. He informed her Dailey was not dead and that first responders were treating his injuries.

Dailey reportedly had a 0.216 blood-alcohol content. He was convicted of a first drunken driving offense on Sept. 29, 2011.

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