Muskegon man faces prison for drunken rampage with police.

Mark Wemple

Muskegon man faces prison for drunken rampage with police.

#MasonCountyCrime

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

LUDINGTON — A 60-year-old Muskegon man who went on an alcohol-fueled rampage while fleeing from police last September faces serving two to seven-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to several felony charges in 51st Circuit Court Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Mark Allen Wemple, of 2528 E. Broadway Ave., pleaded guilty to fleeing and eluding police; third-offense operating while intoxicated; two counts of resisting/assaulting/obstructing police; and second-offense habitual offender.

Wemple threw a beer can out the window of his vehicle — in view of a Mason County sheriff’s deputy, and then eventually rammed into a police car, in the early morning hours of Sept. 5, according to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole.

The incident started at 12:19 a.m. when sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a report of a reckless driver in the area of US 31 and Decker Road.

A deputy spotted the 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup Wemple was driving in the area of US 10 and Gordon Road and attempted a traffic stop. Wemple threw a beer can out the window and fled westbound on US 10 at speeds up to 90 mph. West of the US 31 freeway on-ramp Wemple intentionally drove into the side of an MCSO patrol car and ended up in a ditch. He then locked the doors and refused to exit the vehicle, accelerating in an effort to get out of the ditch. Deputies had to force their way into the vehicle while Wemple continued to race the engine to get out of the ditch.

“Something snapped in me,” Wemple told Judge Susan K. Sniegowski. “I just accelerated, I was swerving. I swerved into one of the police officer’s vehicles.”

Wemple’s blood alcohol content was .24 after drinking 10 or more beers, he testified.

Wemple has four prior drunk driving convictions in Muskegon County dating back to 1983, the judge said.

His sentence will include restitution of $1,194.74 to pay for the damage to the sheriff’s car, said Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola.

Sentencing guidelines in the case are 19-47 months, Spaniola said.

Sentencing is set for March 13 at 1:30 p.m.

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