BURNETT COUNTY -- A criminal complaint has been filed charging a Shell Lake, WI man with charges of 7th offense operating while intoxicated and attempted fleeing following a brief pursuit that occurred on September 30, 2020, shortly after 10p.
On September 30, 2020, an Officer with the St. Croix Tribal Police Department saw a vehicle traveling eastbound on State Highway 70. The Officer’s squad car radar indicated the vehicle was traveling at speeds of 115 miles per hour (mph) in a 55 mph zone.
The Officer engaged in the pursuit of the vehicle, which failed to stop, instead of turning onto Viola Lake Road. The vehicle entered a dead-end zone before turning onto a driveway and finally coming to a stop. With a firearm drawn, the Officer approached the vehicle, ordering the driver to exit the vehicle. The driver complied with the Officer’s commands and was ultimately identified as Robin Johnson, of Shell Lake, WI.
Additional Officers arrived on the scene and confirmed that no one else was in the vehicle. After noticing a heavy odor of intoxicants coming from Johnson, Officers asked if he had been drinking. The criminal complaint filed against Johnson states that initially, he did not answer, but later agreed to a preliminary breath test, which had a result of .204.
Johnson was taken into custody and transported to Burnett Medical Center, where a sample of blood was drawn for testing; the results of that test were not included with the criminal complaint at the time of this post.
Previously Johnson has been convicted of operating while intoxicated on July 31, 2000, August 16, 2001, February 8, 2002, and August 13, 2008, in Burnett County, Wisconsin; and on April 24, 2013, and December 2, 2019, in Washburn County, Wisconsin, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. DrydenWire reported in December 2019 that Johnson was ordered to serve jail time for a conviction of 6th offense OWI.
Johnson is charged with Class F Felony OWI 7th Offense; Class I Felony Attempting to Flee or Elude an Officer, and Misdemeanor Operate While Revoked. A fourth charge of Misdemeanor Failure to Install Ignition Interlock Device was dismissed at Johnson’s Initial Appearance court hearing on October 5, 2020. Online court records show that Johnson’s defense counsel made a motion to dismiss and the State conceded the motion, stating the complaint will be amended.
At a hearing on October 1, 2020, the Court placed Johnson on a $2,500 cash bond, according to online circuit court records. Johnson is scheduled to appear in November 2020 for a preliminary examination hearing.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Oct 16, 2020 6:08 am CDT
