Hopper found not guilty of OWI

AP Modified

Updated: Mar 23, 2012 6:16 PM

FOND DU LAC — A jury found former state Sen. Randy Hopper not guilty Friday of drunken driving.

Hopper was arrested Oct. 16 after a driver reported him weaving on Highway 151.

Hopper took the stand Thursday on the first day of his two-day trial. He said politics influenced his arrest last fall. Hopper said his vote against collective bargaining for state employees caused threats against him.

Sheriff Mick Fink said theories that officers were out to get Hopper are "bizarre."

A judge will issue a ruling at a later date for Hopper's refusal to take a breathalyzer test after his arrest.

Hopper, who is from Fond du lac, lost his Senate seat in a recall election last August.

Defense attorney Dennis Melowski says he's thrilled by the verdict. He says in the last year, Hopper has "been through more than any human being should have had to endure simply because of his political beliefs."

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