CHIPPEWA FALLS — An Eau Claire man skipped his plea hearing Tuesday for his sixth drunk-driving offense, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Robert W. Loomis Jr., 58, 507 Vine St., is charged in Chippewa County Court with OWI-6, bail jumping, and operating while using a restricted substance. He previously posted a $750 cash bond.
An OWI-6 conviction in all likelihood would lead to a prison term as part of the sentence. Loomis also previously skipped a plea hearing on Sept. 17.
However, Loomis failed to appear in court, so Judge James Isaacson issued a warrant for Loomis’ arrest, and will extradite him back to Wisconsin if necessary.
Loomis had “not been compliant with pretrial monitoring,” and he had not taken daily preliminary breath tests, as required by terms of his release, court minutes state.
“Pre-trial specialist Kaitlin Horstman noted the defendant missed 28 daily check-ins and nine random drug tests through the pretrial monitoring program between his court appearances,” a court document reads.
A trial had been set for May 8, but Isaacson removed that from the calendar.
According to the criminal complaint, a Chippewa Falls police officer observed Loomis driving on S. Main Street on Aug. 22, 2022, and learned the license plates had expired in 2019.
The officer stopped the vehicle and he observed Loomis had signs of intoxication, and Loomis failed field sobriety tests. The officer located a wax substance on the ends of tweezers in the car, which he believed was from using marijuana.
Loomis was transported to HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital for a blood draw.
“After the blood was taken, Loomis asked if methamphetamine would stay in a person’s system for 12-15 hours,” the complaint states.
Loomis was last convicted of operating while intoxicated in 2005 in Price County Court, online records show.
Court records show Loomis was convicted of negligent handling of a weapon in 2015, and battery in 2004 and 2006.
Loomis was charged in Price County Court last fall of removing major parts from a vehicle, which is a felony.