By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ
The Patriot Ledger

PLYMOUTH - Police and prosecutors say the public is safer now that a repeat drunken driver who nearly ran over two officers before being arrested in his own driveway has been sent to jail.

Robert Ohnemus, 71, of 22 Longview Terrace, Marshfield, was sentenced to 2+ years in jail after Judge Ronald Moynahan found him guilty of third-offense drunken driving.

"That’s the maximum sentence you can get in district court, so we’re pleased with the results,’’ Marshfield police Capt. Phil Tavares said.

"The people of Plymouth County are much safer with him off the roads,’’ said Bridget Norton Middleton, spokeswoman for the Plymouth County district attorney’s office.

In February 2006, Ohnemus was charged with seventh-offense drunken driving after a seven-mile chase in which he nearly ran over two Marshfield police officers.

On Wednesday, Ohnemus was found guilty of numerous charges related to the 2006 incident. In addition to third-offense drunken driving, those charges include driving with a suspended license and registration and assault and battery on a police officer.

The sentences for the other charges will be served concurrently with the one for drunken driving.

He was awaiting trial on those charges when he fled to Florida in August. A month later, he was arrested by Polk County sheriff’s deputies in Clermont, Fla. He was returned to Massachusetts in October and in January was released on $50,000 bail.

Ohnemus has drunken-driving convictions dating back as far as 1972, according to the state Registry of Motor Vehicles. His license has been revoked several times for drunken driving and for being a habitual traffic offender.

Marshfield police were furious when Ohnemus was freed on $1,000 bail following a dangerousness hearing held after the 2006 arrest. Prosecutors argued that he be held without bail for his own and the public’s safety.

Ohnemus’ lawyer, Pamela Churchill, said her client has taken responsibility for what he did.

"I’m really satisfied with the judge’s disposition. It’s fair and reasonable,’’ she said.

Sydney Schwartz may be reached at sschwartz@ledger.com .
Copyright 2008 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, January 31, 2008