DARLINGTON — A Darlington man who pleaded guilty Nov. 24 to a felony charge of drunk driving with child passengers is the third person to be admitted into Lafayette County’s new OWI court program.

Shayne M. Riley, 32, was sentenced to three years on probation and 90 days in the Lafayette County Jail, with Huber work release privileges, for convictions of third-offense operating while intoxicated (OWI), threatening a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor bail jumping. He owes about $3,000 in fees and fines.

As part of his probation, he is ordered to complete OWI court, a five-phase program intended to reduce recidivism rates, reduce participants’ substance abuse and provide rehabilitation.

Lafayette County received a two-year Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) grant of $118,533 to establish the program earlier this year. It takes up to 10 participants at a time and is aimed at those with three or more OWI convictions.

The treatment program held its first weekly meeting in October. The other two participants are 48-year-old Brian E. Lancaster of Darlington, for his fourth OWI, and 34-year-old Brian E. Johnson of Darlington, for his fifth OWI.

Kris Fleming, court services coordinator, said at least four more people waiting to get sentenced are planning to join the program.

Fleming had hoped to begin the program in July but the county had a hard time finding a clinician to lead it.

“We now have someone who’s absolutely awesome,” Fleming said. The clinician, Susan Hepler, worked previously in Iowa County and has eight years of OWI court experience.

Hepler is also dually credentialled to provide mental and substance abuse counseling.

“We can wrap those services all the way around our clients so they don’t have to go somewhere else if they have mental health issues,” Fleming said.

Fleming said last year she was eager to start the program because “we do have an OWI problem in Lafayette County” and sending people convicted of OWI to prison or jail without treatment just doesn’t work.

“We’re very rural. We don’t have any other options for transportation, she said. The goal is to “put into place services to help the folks in our county so they can become productive members of society.”

Now, she said, “we’re really excited that we finally got it up and going.”

Participation in OWI court involves regular hearings with a team of representatives from the county — judge, law enforcement, probation and parole, district attorney, public defender, court services — to work together to hold participants accountable for their own sobriety and transformation back into society.

Riley had his first hearing Nov. 30. Notes from the hearing indicate he is doing well and “had a good Thanksgiving.” He is due back for another hearing Dec. 7.

Conditions of Riley’s probation include no drinking, no bars or liquor stores and no non-prescribed drugs.

Participants in the OWI court have to pay for some of the programming and are required to find a job and housing and attend counseling, meetings and mandatory court appearances, along with random drug and alcohol testing. They’re also encouraged to get re-licensed as soon as possible.

Riley’s case stems from an incident late last year. A caller notified police on Dec. 18 of a possible drunk driver with children in the car. 

The complaint led to the arrest of Riley at about 3:45 p.m. in a business parking lot on Wisconsin 23. An infant and 11-year-old were in the car with Riley, according to Darlington Chief of Police Jason King. During the arrest, King said Riley threatened to assault the arresting officer.

Court records show Riley was sentenced to 15 days in jail for his second-offense OWI conviction in 2010 in Iowa County.

His Lafayette County case is not the first time Riley has faced a third-offense OWI.

He was arrested by Blue Mounds police in December 2017 for third-offense OWI and third-offense driving with a prohibited blood-alcohol level, but the case was later dropped by a Dane County prosecutor after Riley tried to take it to trial.