Two Douglas County residents are facing felony charges for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated for the fifth time made appearances in Douglas County Circuit Court this week.
A preliminary hearing for Edward M. Coulombe, 60, of Barnes was adjourned Wednesday and rescheduled for March 21. Coulombe faces one count of operating while intoxicated-fifth or sixth offense.
According to the criminal complaint:
A Douglas County Sheriff's Department deputy saw a vehicle turn south into the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 53 at 1:46 a.m. Feb. 18. The deputy stopped the vehicle, which was being driven by Coulombe. The Barnes man told the deputy he had consumed a 12-pack of beer that night and admitted he was under the influence. When the deputy told him he had been stopped for going the wrong way on the highway, Coulombe gave him a blank look. The complaint lists four previous intoxicated driving convictions between 1991 and 2000.
Cash bail was set at $500 for Coulombe with the conditions he not drive without a valid driver's license and he not consume or possess any alcohol.
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A Superior woman was bound over for arraignment Wednesday on one count of operating while intoxicated-fifth or sixth offense. Cindy Lou Engstrom, 53, also faces misdemeanor counts of operating while revoked, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the criminal complaint:
Engstrom was pulled over by a Superior police officer for a malfunctioning driver's side brake light on the morning of Feb. 17. A license check showed the Superior woman's license had been revoked but she had an occupational license that allowed her to drive between 2:30-7:30 p.m. that day. When Engstrom stepped out of the vehicle, the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol. She said she had been drinking until 11:30 p.m. the night before.
Engstrom was able to stand on one foot for a count of six, walk heel to toe nine steps forward and eight back. Two attempts to get a preliminary breath test were unsuccessful. The complaint lists four prior intoxicated driving convictions between 1991 and 2009. Two baggies with marijuana in them and a stone pipe were found lying on the ground next to the driver's door, the complaint stated. Video taken of the traffic stop showed Engstrom drop something to the ground while her back was turned to the officer.
Attorney James Cirilli, who represents Engstrom, filed a motion to dismiss the case the day before the preliminary hearing. The criminal complaint, he stated, is defective because it fails to establish provable cause that Engstrom was intoxicated to a degree that would render her incapable of safely driving. He argued for dismissal during the preliminary hearing, but Court Commissioner Rebecca Lovejoy found probable cause to bind the case over for arraignment.
Engstrom remains free on $500 cash bail with the condition that she not operate a vehicle without a valid driver's license, not use or possess alcohol, drugs or drug paraphernalia.
