By Joe Bachman
Editor

WHITING — A Stevens Point man appeared in court today for drunkenly smashing his vehicle into a house while fleeing authorities.

According to police reports filed on June 15, On June 6 at approximately 12:54 a.m. a deputy reported a vehicle heading southbound on Post Road by Minnesota Avenue weaving in and out of his lane. The driver, later identified as 34-year-old Joshua Slaton, soon made an improper left turn on McDill Avenue.

Soon after, the deputy activated his emergency lights and siren in the area of Verill Street and Manor Drive. However, Slaton would speed up in attempts to evade the officer, a practice which rarely heeds positive results for defendants.

After making it to speeds up to 60 MPH in a 25 MPH zone, Slaton would eventually crash his vehicle into a house on the 1700 block of Manor Drive. He soon exited the vehicle and after being told to “stop”, did the opposite, and started to run from the deputy. After tripping over himself once, Slaton was eventually taken down, tasered, and handcuffed by the deputy.

A preliminary breathalyzer test would come back with a result of 0.118. According to Slaton, he imbibed a few drinks at a nearby tavern, as well as one shot of tequila, prior to getting behind the wheel. Slaton created a large hole in the house he crashed into, according to reports. Luckily, residents of the house were asleep at the time of the crash and were unharmed.

If convicted, Slaton faces nearly 14 years in prison for second-degree reckless endangerment, fleeing police, his third charge of operating while intoxicated, and likely financial damages caused to the property.