Twice? In Two Hours?

Man Receives Two OWIs In Two Hours

NORWAY, Wis. -- A Franklin man's plea to "just give me a ride home" instead landed him to the Racine County Jail after he was booked twice in just over two hours for drunken driving.

Clayton J. Paul's bad day started July 23 when he tried to leave a bar parking lot at 2:17 p.m. and backed his truck into a Racine County Sheriff's Department cruiser at a high rate of speed, authorities said.

The impact left a large dent in the squad car's front bumper and police said Paul's blood-alcohol level registered a 0.16. That's twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Paul, 53, was cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and exceeding the legal limit. He was booked at the Town of Waterford police station and released to the custody of his wife.

Twelve minutes later at 4:38 p.m., a deputy pulled Paul over again.

According to records, the deputy said that Paul told him, "just give me a ride home."

Instead, Paul failed sobriety tests and registered a 0.13 blood-alcohol level.

He received citations again for OWI and exceeding the legal limit. After being taken back to the station, he was transferred to the Racine County Jail.

So, the man was released into his wife's care, and was found drunk driving 12 minutes later? Where was his wife?

Do you think she should be held responsible? If the man was released, drunk, into her care, and he managed to go driving again, is she legally responsible? Morally responsible? I wonder how that works here.