By Joe Bachman
Multimedia Editor

STEVENS POINT — A man charged with his third OWI in relation to a November 16 pile-up will face one year in prison.

On Friday, Nov. 16, at approximately 6:07 p.m., the Portage County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a one vehicle roll-over crash on I-39 near County Highway HH. Authorities discovered that the vehicle had lost control, crossed into the median and overturned. The vehicle came to a rest on its roof in the northbound lanes of traffic.

The man was later identifed as 38-year-old Joshua Cisewski, of Custer.

On Friday, June 21, Circuit Court Judge Robert Shannon sentenced Cisewski to one year in jail and three years probation for his role in the accident. Cisewski will also have his driver’s license revoked for two years. Cisewksi has already served 218 days of jail time, which counts towards is prison sentence.

Three years of his sentencing will be abeyance-on condition,which means if Cisewski follows conditions set by Judge Shannon, he will avoid the additional three years of prison time in exchange for probation. Cisewski plead “no contest” for these charges.

As a result of the November incident, a seven-vehicle chain reaction crash occurred in the southbound lanes of I-39, as motorists failed to slow and react in time of the initial crash. There were several injuries resulting from the series of crashes, including one whom was flown to Aspirus Hospital in Wausau with non-life threatening injuries.

In Cisewski’s vehicle, deputies would discover several empty vodka bottles, and a witnesses reported that the driver appeared intoxicated as he ran from the scene. Law enforcement began their search, even using the services of a canine to track him down. At approximately 9:15 p.m, an AIG security guard reported a male hiding on the business property. He appeared to be intoxicated and injured.

There was no restitution sought for the matter.