RUSK COUNTY -- The Court has sentenced Christopher Thannum for two separate convictions of operating while intoxicated; one that occurred in Sawyer County in April of 2019 and another that occurred in Rusk County in May of 2020.
DrydenWire published a post in May 2020, which stated that Thannum had been arrested by the Wisconsin State Patrol after Thannum’s vehicle had gone off the road into the ditch on County Highway O in Rusk County. Thannum admitted that he had gone into the ditch because he had been texting and driving. The Trooper noticed an odor of intoxicants coming from Thannum and standardized field sobriety tests were administered after which Thannum was taken into custody.
Thannum was charged with Class G Felony Operating While Intoxicated 6th Offense, Class G Felony Operating With Prohibited Alcohol Concentration 6th Offense and Class H Felony Bail Jumping.
Online circuit court records show that at the time of the May 2020 incident Thannum already had pending charges in Sawyer County Circuit Court for charges of Class G Felony Operating While Intoxicated 6th Offense and Operating With Prohibited Alcohol Concentration 6th Offense stemming from an incident in April 2019.
Thannum appeared most recently on November 9, 2021, in Sawyer County Circuit Court where the Court sentenced him on both his Sawyer County OWI charges and his Rusk County OWI charges.
At a hearing in July 2021, in Sawyer County Circuit Court, Thannum’s Rusk County OWI charges were consolidated into his Sawyer County OWI case. The Court accepted Thannum’s pleas of No Contest to his OWI charges from both court cases and found him guilty of OWI 6th Offense for the Rusk County incident, and OWI 7th Offense for the Sawyer County incident. The remaining charges filed against Thannum in the two cases were dismissed, with his charge of Class H Felony Bail Jumping being dismissed and read-in.
Online circuit court records show that on November 9, 2021, the Court ordered a six-year and six-month sentence for Thannum on his Sawyer County OWI conviction, with one year and six months of initial confinement followed by five years of extended supervision.
For the conviction from the Rusk County incident, the Court ordered a three-year sentence, with one year and six months of initial confinement followed by one year and six months of extended supervision. Thannum is to serve his sentences concurrently.
Conditions of extended supervision will require Thannum to maintain absolute sobriety; undergo an Alcohol and Other Drug assessment within 45 days and follow through with recommendations, and complete any counseling and programming deemed appropriate by his Department of Corrections agent.
Thannum is also ordered to pay over $7,000 in court costs, fines, and fees.
Last Update: Nov 15, 2021 11:28 am CST
