Northern Wisconsin Man Found Guilty after Pleading Beer Battered Fish Defense in OWI

FRIENDSHIP, Wis. (WSAW)-- A jury has convicted a Friendship man of his 10th OWI after he reportedly told a deputy beer battered fish was to blame.

John Przybla, 76, was arrested in October 2014 after deputy pulled him over for crossing the centerline and having a broken tail light. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy asked Przybyla how much he had to drink. Przybyla reportedly denied drinking alcohol but said he had eaten beer battered fish.

Przybyla was issued a breath alcohol test which showed a preliminary result of .062. Because of previous OWI convictions he cannot have PBT over .02. Przybyla was brought to a nearby hospital for a legal blood draw.

Monday, jury found Przybyla guilty of all three charges-- operating while intoxicated; 10th offense, operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, and operating while revoked.

He has previous conviction in Milwaukee, Adams, and Columbia counties dating back to 1995. In 2011, Przybyla was sentenced to one year in jail followed by five years extended supervision.