Courts
6th OWI charge being brought against La Crosse driver
A La Crosse man is facing his sixth drunk-driving charge after a weekend traffic stop in Sparta.
Thirty-five-year-old Joseph Welchert was pulled over by a state trooper on Saturday morning at an I-90 exit ramp into Sparta, for having a suspended license.
The trooper tested Welchert for signs of impairment, and the driver was arrested.
Welchert has a felony OWI conviction in La Crosse County, dating back to 2014, when he was given a jail sentence.
A cash bond of $750 has been set in Monroe County court for Welchert. He is not allowed to drive, drink alcohol, or go to a bar or liquor store.