MONROE - A 29-year-old man choked up in Green County Circuit Court as he lamented a life of alcohol problems and depression before his sentencing to prison on Thursday, March 22.

Benjamin Gregory Radloff pleaded guilty to his fourth charge of driving while intoxicated and got 20 months in prison and three years of extended supervision.

In a voice pinched with emotion, he told the judge he has spent his adult life drowning his depression and anxiety in alcohol.

"I do have a problem with alcohol. I have to battle these demons," he said, adding that he is ready for prison: "I want it for my kids. I keep trying to make amends. I've been trying to get the pieces together in my life. I have big desire for this."

Radloff has been in and out of prison or jail for a decade. He was first arrested for driving drunk when he was 18, after he caused an accident with injuries in Rock County.

He latest conviction stems from an arrest made when police responded to a domestic dispute that started at a canoe drop-off site along the Sugar River in Brodhead. Radloff was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 percent, according to District Attorney Gary Luhman.

Luhman said Radloff has a severe dependence to alcohol.

"He cannot drink alcohol for the rest of his life. If he doesn't have that realization, he's going to be institutionalized," Luhman said.

Defense counsel Michael Murphy said Radloff has potential but keeps botching his chances. He recently missed a shot at a $80,000-a-year job due to his problems with drinking and the law.

Murphy maintains Radloff has undiagnosed psychological problems and comes from a family with a history of depression and suicide.

Judge James Beer scolded Radloff for his crime.

"When you're intoxicated, and you get into a motor vehicle, you have a two-ton weapon going down the road," he said. "It's clear probation is not appropriate for you."