While Wisconsin's lawmakers consider legislation to toughen penalties against drunk driving, the Legislature's poster boy for the scourge has found himself in trouble again.
Rep. Jeff Wood, a 40-year-old Independent from Bloomer, was arrested Wednesday evening for suspected driving while intoxicated. He was stopped on Interstate 39 near Wausau after his vehicle was reported as being driven recklessly. The State Patrol found prescription pills in the vehicle and noticed Wood looked sleepy.
Wednesday's arrest comes less than a year after Wood was charged in December with third-offense drunken driving and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Before being arrested, Wood drove onto the center median, drifted into a snowbank and smashed through a caution sign, going airborne before careening back onto the road. Then he kept driving at erratic speeds, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, until he was pulled over a few minutes later.
In that incident, Wood had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin. He apologized for the incident, calling his behavior "irresponsible," and resigned his recently-awarded chairmanship of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
The Times and other newspapers called for Wood's resignation from the Assembly after the December incident, and surely there will be more calls for the same after Wednesday's arrest. The state Republican Party, of which Wood belonged until he became an Independent, wasted little time Thursday in issuing a release saying the "only one reasonable course of action" would be for Wood to resign.
"It has become clear that Rep. Wood is having far too much difficulty managing his own personal problems to cope with the problems of a state in economic crisis," the Republican Party of Wisconsin said in a news release.
The Republicans are right, and lawmakers from both parties should urge Wood to step down.
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, in a release late Thursday afternoon, said he was "deeply troubled" by Wood's latest arrest.
"I am now and will be reviewing the emerging details in his case," Sheridan said.
We will repeat what we said in December, which only has been reinforced by Wood's latest run-in with the law:
For Wood to continue serving in a position of public trust after this incident, at a time lawmakers would be working to crack down on drunken driving, would send a hypocritical and wrong message. Wood should send the proper message - that the serious offensive of driving while intoxicated carries with it serious personal and professional consequences. He should set an example by resigning from the Assembly.
Rep. Jeff Wood, a 40-year-old Independent from Bloomer, was arrested Wednesday evening for suspected driving while intoxicated. He was stopped on Interstate 39 near Wausau after his vehicle was reported as being driven recklessly. The State Patrol found prescription pills in the vehicle and noticed Wood looked sleepy.
Wednesday's arrest comes less than a year after Wood was charged in December with third-offense drunken driving and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Before being arrested, Wood drove onto the center median, drifted into a snowbank and smashed through a caution sign, going airborne before careening back onto the road. Then he kept driving at erratic speeds, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, until he was pulled over a few minutes later.
In that incident, Wood had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin. He apologized for the incident, calling his behavior "irresponsible," and resigned his recently-awarded chairmanship of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
The Times and other newspapers called for Wood's resignation from the Assembly after the December incident, and surely there will be more calls for the same after Wednesday's arrest. The state Republican Party, of which Wood belonged until he became an Independent, wasted little time Thursday in issuing a release saying the "only one reasonable course of action" would be for Wood to resign.
"It has become clear that Rep. Wood is having far too much difficulty managing his own personal problems to cope with the problems of a state in economic crisis," the Republican Party of Wisconsin said in a news release.
The Republicans are right, and lawmakers from both parties should urge Wood to step down.
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, in a release late Thursday afternoon, said he was "deeply troubled" by Wood's latest arrest.
"I am now and will be reviewing the emerging details in his case," Sheridan said.
We will repeat what we said in December, which only has been reinforced by Wood's latest run-in with the law:
For Wood to continue serving in a position of public trust after this incident, at a time lawmakers would be working to crack down on drunken driving, would send a hypocritical and wrong message. Wood should send the proper message - that the serious offensive of driving while intoxicated carries with it serious personal and professional consequences. He should set an example by resigning from the Assembly.
