Crivitz Principal Baumann placed on indefinite leave

CRIVITZ – Crivitz Middle/High School Principal Jeffery Baumann has been placed on an indefinite leave from the school district, the superintendent said Monday.

The announcement followed Baumann’s initial video appearance on Oct. 3 at the Sauk County Courthouse where he had been held in custody and accused of felony driving with a prohibited alcohol concentration following an Oct. 2 traffic stop by the Wisconsin Dells Police Department, according to the court clerk’s office.

According to the court record, it was a fourth alcohol-related driving offense, which could be a felony if convicted.

Neither Baumann nor a public defender who represented him Oct. 3 wasn’t immediately available for comment. The district attorney’s office declined to comment.

In a letter to parents sent Monday, Crivitz School District Superintendent Kelly Robinson said she would be serving as the substitute administrator for the middle school and high school.

“Our focus remains on providing a consistent and supportive environment for every student and staff member,” Robinson said in the letter.

The level of alcohol required for a prohibited alcohol concentration citation generally is a Blood or Breath Alcohol Concentration of 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood (g/dl), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, with a fourth offense, the level drops to 0.02 g/dl, the NHTSA said.

Wisconsin uses the same alcohol concentrations but as percentages, such as 0.08%, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

In Wisconsin, the penalty for prohibited alcohol concentration can be up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $50,000.

Wisconsin law makes it illegal to operate a vehicle with a blood or breath alcohol concentration level of 0.08% for first, second and third offenses and subsequently at a 0.02 % concentration, according to a Department of Transportation fact sheet.

Wisconsin law was changed in 2003 to lower the prohibited blood alcohol concentration level after research showed lives could have been saved in Wisconsin with a 0.08 law, DOT said. Wisconsin reported 304 alcohol fatalities in 2001, leading up to the law change.

According to the Sauk County Courthouse, Baumann was released on a signature Oct. 3 with bond set at $1,500.

Baumann’s breathalyzer results were 0.077 but these won’t be admissible in court as blood alcohol results will be used, according to the Sauk County Court Clerk’s office. This information hasn’t been confirmed.

Blood alcohol concentrations are determined by body weight as well as alcohol consumption. A man weighing about 180 pounds who had four drinks within two hours would have a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.08. Just one drink, such as a beer, a 4-ounce glass of wine or 1.25 ounces of 80-proof liquor, could register a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.02 for a man weighing 190 pounds, according to the DOT fact sheet.

Baumann didn’t respond to a reporter’s request for comment sent to his school district email by the deadline for this story.

Information on the traffic stop wasn’t immediately available. While some sources said Baumann had attended the Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services Fall Conference, held Oct. 2 and 3 at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells, others said he was at the Dells for a coaching event. Robinson denied the incident had any connection to the school district. She said he wasn’t traveling in a school district vehicle.

“This is an ongoing personnel matter regarding which the district will not share details at this time. We can confirm, though, that the incident did not occur in conjunction with an administrator’s conference and did not involve any district-owned vehicles,” Robinson said in an email in response to a reporter’s questions.