Todd A. Squires, 48, appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court for a sentencing hearing on a count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated — fifth or sixth offense. Police say the charge stems from an incident at about 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2009.

According to court records, a Baraboo police officer was driving on Fourth Street when a car cut him off by failing to obey the stop sign at Oak Street. The officer stopped the car and spoke

with Squires who said he did not know there was a stop sign and did not know how he got to that location. The officer reported Squires said he had taken medication for anxiety about 30 minutes earlier and it made him "really groggy," records state.

The officer observed Squires had a slight loss of balance and was swaying from side to side. He was uncooperative when the officer asked him to participate in field sobriety tests and tried to run away when he was told he was under arrest, according to the records.

An expert at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory reported testing Squires’ blood and finding he had taken a powerful narcotic painkiller, oxycodone, and temazepam, a sleep aid. Both drugs could cause his driving to be impaired and when taken together could cause the amount of impairment the officer observed in Squires’ driving and field sobriety tests, records state.

According to court documents, Squires has four previous OWI charges and convictions from July of 1995 through November of 2003 Squires had already pleaded no contest to the charge during an October hearing and the prosecution and defense argued Monday over what the extent of his penalty should be, records state. Family members also spoke on his behalf.

The judge ordered Squires to jail for a year with work-release privileges and imposed four years of probation. He must take alcohol and other drug treatment at the direction of his probation agent, cannot take any prescription drug without a doctor’s supervision and cannot be in any place that serves alcohol, records state.

Squires must pay $1,200 in fines and fees while on probation and is due to start his jail term March 3.

Squires also has previous misdemeanor convictions for resisting or obstructing an officer, battery, disorderly conduct and operating a firearm while intoxicated, according to Wisconsin online court records.