A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s captain says he supports a couple of bills that would stiffen drunken driving penalties. The state Assembly has approved a measure that would require anyone arrested for a first offense to appear in court. Sheriff’s captain Bill Tadych says currently a first offense is a civil violation and people can skip their initial court appearance. The bill would also eliminate provisions in state law that allow second offenses to be treated as a civil violation rather than a misdemeanor if the first offense took place at least ten years earlier. Bonack says he also supports a second proposal that would establish a minimum five year sentence for anyone convicted of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. “It comes down to accountability. When you take someone’s life and you put yourself in that position where you were intoxicated, I support that. We have to put a higher premium on human life here,” Tadych told WFDL news. The bills are now up for a vote in the state senate.
