By Journal Staff

MENOMINEE — A Menominee man has been sentenced to 18 months to 5 years in prison following his resentencing on a conviction for operating while intoxicated, third offense.

Menominee County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Rogg said in a press release that Jon K. Walding, 65, was convicted of a probation violation, by plea, on Nov. 7. The prison sentence was handed down on Nov. 21 by Judge Christopher Ninomiya in the 41st Circuit Court.

According to court documents and information presented in open court, the underlying offense occurred on Oct. 23, 2022, when Menominee Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on First Street near Fourth Avenue in Menominee for speeding.

The driver was identified as Walding.

An OWI investigation ensued and according to the press release, “Walding admitted drinking; had the odor of intoxicants about his person, did poorly on several standard field sobriety tests and registered a .161 bodily alcohol content.”

Walding was on active probation for an earlier similar offense at the time of the incident. He was again placed on probation with a strict condition of “no use of alcohol.”

“The Court, Probation Department and I gave Mr. Walding every opportunity after he again committed a felony drunk driving, while being on probation (for) the very same offense,” Rogg said in the press release. “Unfortunately, Mr. Walding proved that all of us were mistaken in allowing him to remain in the community on probation.”

According to the press release, this is Walding’s fifth conviction for drunk driving in about six years.

“Mr. Walding has had numerous opportunities to realize that he and alcohol and driving do not mix, and to conform his behavior to that required by law.

It is obvious from this latest violation that previous efforts at rehabilitation and deterrence, in the form of jail and relatively short terms of probation, have been unavailing,” Rogg said. “The only way the community can be safe from Mr. Walding is for him to be locked in a prison cell.”

Rogg said the message to the defendant and the Menominee County community is “repetitive and systematic drunk driving will not be tolerated.”