Man Is Convicted Of Drunken Driving For The 8th Time

A man was convicted of driving while drunk for the eighth time earlier this week in Lake County Court of Common Pleas.

Thomas Pepp, 48, was arrested earlier this year after and refused to take a breathalyzer test.

However, he pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated Wednesday. Judge Joseph Gibson scheduled his sentencing for August 22.

Pepp, who lives in Perry, in January, police said.

When officers responded to the crash, they said Pepp had glossy eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on his breath. They also found a pipe with marijuana residue on it in the center cup holder, according to police.

The officers gave Pepp field sobriety tests that he failed.

Then Pepp told the police that his back hurt so they took him to TriPoint Medical Center in Concord Township. At the hospital, Pepp refused to take any blood or breath tests for alcohol.