Wessington Springs Superintendent Lance Witte receives jail time for latest DUI arrest

ALEXANDRIA — Wessington Springs School Superintendent Lance Witte was sentenced Wednesday to eight days in jail for a driving under the influence arrest in August.

Witte was pulled over on Interstate 90 Aug. 5 in Hanson County for driving erratically and arrested for DUI. This is his second DUI conviction in the last 10 years and his fifth overall (the other DUIs were in the early 1990s). A third DUI in the current 10-year period would be charged as a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

In a field sobriety test during the most recent arrest, he registered a 0.157 blood alcohol level. The legal driving limit in South Dakota is 0.08.

Judge Sean O’Brien ordered Witte to serve 90 days in jail with 82 suspended. He will serve his time on weekends at a yet-to-be-determined jail. Witte's attorney, Doug Dailey, of Mitchell, requested that arrangements be worked out with the Hanson County Sheriff’s Office.

Witte is also authorized for a work driving permit and a permit to allow him to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in other cities. Wessington Springs only offers one AA meeting a week, and Witte is required to attend three per week.

Witte is also required to enroll in the SCRAM alcohol bracelet monitoring program for one year and pay court costs, fines and a lab analysis fee, which he paid before leaving the Hanson County Courthouse on Wednesday.

Witte had been placed on administrative leave by the Wessington Springs School Board but recently returned to work.

Tags: lance witte, wessington springs, our towns, news, education, crime, courts, updates, breakingnews