Milwaukee County deputies arrest two for 4th and 5th OWIs

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Deputies arrested a driver for his 4th OWI and a motorcyclist for his 5th OWI within a span of eight hours, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. 

The first arrest happened Wednesday around 5:40 p.m. when deputies received a call about a driver who wasn't staying in his lane and allegedly drinking a beer behind the wheel while going eastbound on I-94 near State Fair Park. After deputies saw the car get off at Hawley Road, they stopped it at 60th and Pierce Streets. 

A release from the Sheriff's Office says the deputy could smell alcohol from the vehicle and saw six empty 12-ounce bottles and two empty 32-ounce bottles of beer in the vehicle. The driver, 35-year-old Gerardo Lopez-Lopez of Milwaukee, is said to have performed poorly on field sobriety tests and registered a .06 on his PBT. He was arrested for his fourth OWI offense. The Sheriff's Office said Lopez-Lopez was previously convicted in 2006, 2008, and 2016. In 2016, his license was revoked for two years. If convicted for both the fourth OWI offense and operating after revocation, Lopez-Lopez could spend up to seven years in prison. 

Around 1:25 a.m. on Thursday, deputies who were conducting a speed patrol stopped a motorcycle going 67 in a 50 mph zone on I-41/US-45 at Center Street. 

The motorcyclist, later identified as 53-year-old Dale Herriges of Allenton, had a revoked driver's license. Deputies said Herriges showed signs of being impaired and tested a .05 on the PBT. Due to four prior OWI convictions, Herriges has a restriction of .02. Herriges was previously convicted in 2001, 2011, 2015, and 2017. He was arrested for his fifth OWI and also could be charged with operating while revoked/OWI-related and bail jumping. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 17 years in prison. 

The Sheriff's Office says so far in 2018, they have arrested 424 impaired drivers, 98 of which have been repeat offenders. 

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