Man who pleaded to farm field incident has second thoughts

A criminal case involving an 18-year-old man accused of driving through a recently planted Town of Saukville farm field, then speeding away with a man who tried to stop him dangling out of his window, took another twist this week after the driver had second thoughts about pleading to the criminal charges against him

During a hearing on Tuesday, March 3 — the day Fredonia resident Alex M. Desmidt was to be sentenced for the April 2025 incident — Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain granted his request to withdraw his pleas of no contest to the negligent operation of a vehicle — a lesser charge negotiated as part of a plea agreement — as well as second-offense drunken driving and resisting an officer, all misdemeanors, which means the case against him  will proceed.

The latest development in the case came about a month after Desmidt notified Cain that he had fired his attorney and requested he be permitted to represent himself,  a request Cain granted Tuesday.

Desmidt, who was on probation at the time for a felony conviction in Washington County, was initially charged in Ozaukee County with misdemeanors in connection with the Town of Saukville incident, but that case was dismissed and refiled to include a felony charge of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. That charge, however, was amended to a misdemeanor count of negligent operation of a vehicle on Jan. 6, the day Desmidt pleaded no contest to the charges.  A charge of criminal damage to property was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

During that hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kerra Stumbris recommended Desmidt be sentenced to one year in jail followed by one year of supervision but that the sentence be stayed and he be placed on probation for two years. She also recommended he should serve 120 days in jail for the drunken driving conviction.

Cain then scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 3.

According to a criminal complaint, an Ozaukee County sheriff’s deputy was on his way to check on a report of a vehicle striking a mailbox on Orchard Lane in the Town of Saukville at 9:42 p.m. Sunday, April 13, when he was informed that the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Desmidt, had tried to run away but was caught and being held by witnesses.

The deputy was told that Desmidt was doing doughnuts in the field, and the man who owns the land said he heard the vehicle and went outside to see Desmidt headed toward buildings on the property, the complaint states.

The landowner said he got in his truck and cut Desmidt off, forcing him to stop, then reached into Desmidt’s vehicle and tried to turn off the ignition. That is when Desmidt drove away with the farmer hanging out of the driver’s side window, according to the complaint.

At one point it appeared Desmidt was going to hit the farmer’s sister, so the farmer grabbed the steering wheel, forcing Desmidt to swerve, the complaint states.

Desmidt continued driving with the man hanging on to the car until he hit a mail box and spun out.

The farmer told deputies that he had recently fertilized and planted the field.

Officers took over for the witnesses who chased Desmidt down after he ran and noticed that his breath smelled of alcohol and he was staggering. They found open cans of Twisted Tea alcoholic beverages in his vehicle, the complaint states.

Desmidt, whose driver’s license was revoked due to his Washington County conviction, refused to perform sobriety tests. A sample of his blood was taken at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton and tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of .226, according to the criminal complaint.

While being taken to the hospital, Desmidt became increasingly agitated and started banging his head on the rear window of the patrol vehicle. As he was being walked into the hospital, Desmidt tried to spit on a deputy, the complaint states.

Desmidt was put in a body wrap and spit hood and at one point told a deputy, “I can’t wait to find out where you live,” according to the complaint.

After a sample of his blood was taken, Desmidt resisted officers’ attempts to get him back into a patrol vehicle by refusing to bend his legs and waist.

Desmidt pleaded guilty to a felony charge of fleeing officers in Washington County in October 2024. A judge sentenced him to a year in jail but stayed the sentence and placed him on probation for three years. That meant that he would not have to serve the jail time if he complied with the conditions of his probation, which included maintaining absolute sobriety and not committing additional crimes, but his probation was subsequently revoked.

In his motion to withdraw his pleas, Desmidt argued that he became aware of information that was not fully disclosed or understood after entering his pleas and  he did not fully understand the “collateral consequences” of the pleas and long-term implications.

He also argued that before entering his pleas, communication with his attorney broke down and he was not “adequately advised or fully informed” of key aspects of the case.

Desmidt’s next court hearing is scheduled for April 9.