Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Lockport man was arrested for his fifth DWI offense after crashing his vehicle into a ditch over the weekend. William Meissner, 59, of Lockport was arrested early Sunday morning.

At around 12:05 a.m. on Sunday morning, patrol deputies discovered an SUV which had left the roadway and crashed into a ditch just off LA Highway 1 in Mathews. They made contact with the driver and identified him as William Meissner. Deputies immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, and he was exhibiting signs of intoxication. There was also an open can of beer in the center console cup holder.

Deputies conducted a field sobriety test on which Meissner performed poorly. He refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, but deputies obtained a warrant to have his blood tested. The results are pending at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab.

Deputies discovered Meissner had multiple prior DWI arrests and was most recently convicted of his fourth offense in St. Tammany Parish in 2014. He was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with DWI (4th and Subsequent Offenses), Possession of an Alcoholic Beverage in a Motor Vehicle, and Careless Operation. Bail is set at $75,250.

Sheriff Webre reminds motorists that Lafourche Parish is a “No Refusal” parish, meaning if a suspected drunk driver refuses a breathalyzer test, deputies will seek a search warrant to have that person’s blood tested as they did in this investigation.