EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – A Whitehall man was charged his ninth time for drunken-driving in an odd case in which he blamed a woman companion for doing the driving. Police had been called to the Savers thrift store at 2833 Mall Drive. In a parked car were Thomas Johnson and Mary Roth hitting each other. Police gave this account of what happened next: Officers detected booze on Johnson’s breath even though he was wearing a mask. How much had he been drinking? One drink, he said. Why did he smell like a distillery? Mary threw her bottle of vodka at him, he said. About driving? Nope, must have been Mary, although he earlier had told officers that he had picked her up. The cops wrote him up for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence – his ninth such offense, as well as driving with a revoked license, disorderly conduct, and battery. About Mary Roth she was charged with battery, disorderly conduct, trying to use a breath-masking agent, and bail-jumping.
Thompson. Ninth drunken-driving offense.