Sentencing scheduled for eight-time OWI offender

By Brandi Makuski

A Stevens Point man could be sentenced to more than a decade in prison after being convicted of his eighth OWI offense.

Thomas Guyette, 56, pleaded no contest to a single charge of operating while intoxicated, eighth offense, in November. A related charge of operating with a positive blood alcohol content was dismissed.

Guyette was arrested last July after a witness called police to say Guyette had “stumbled” out of a Second St. bar, then to his vehicle several blocks away on the 1300 block of Briggs Street. Once behind the wheel, he reportedly struck a parked car and drove over a lilac bush, and was “weaving” on the roadway when police found him.

During the traffic stop, Guyette told police he’d been drinking at his mother’s house, but didn’t know how much alcohol he’d consumed. After failing the first part of a field sobriety test, Guyette asked to be arrested, rather than do any more tests, the complaint said.

Court records show Guyette’s history includes seven previous OWI convictions stemming back to 1991; a previous judge had also imposed on him a .02 blood alcohol restriction.

His breathalyzer test indicated a blood-alcohol level of .18, more than twice the legal limit.

Guyette returns to court for sentencing on April 13.