(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. — A Waukegan man convicted of his third drunken driving offense and a separate hit-and-run crash in Pleasant Prairie has avoided serious punishment — receiving just six months of work release and one year of probation, despite a long history of driving crimes.
A 3rd OWI with Methadone in His System
According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, 36-year-old Garyson K. Lloyd was arrested shortly after midnight on August 13, 2024, after troopers observed his white Chevrolet Suburban speeding 86 mph on Interstate 94 and weaving between lanes. Lloyd took nearly two miles to pull over and showed clear signs of impairment — bloodshot eyes, slow speech, and poor balance. He later admitted to using 200 milligrams of methadone earlier that day.
It was his third OWI conviction, following prior offenses in Milwaukee County and Wauwatosa. Under Wisconsin law, a third OWI carries a mandatory minimum of 45 days and up to one year of confinement.
Hit and Run Just Days Earlier
Only four days before that arrest, Lloyd caused a crash on southbound I-94 near Highway 165 and fled into Illinois without stopping. Witnesses captured the incident on video and reported his plate to authorities. Lake County deputies later located the damaged Suburban and arrested Lloyd for OWI.
Judge’s Leniency Raises Eyebrows
At Friday’s sentencing, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Jodi Meier gave Lloyd what many would view as a remarkably light punishment for a repeat offender. Lloyd was sentenced to 180 days of work release, a 27-month driver’s license revocation, and an ignition interlock requirement for his third OWI. He was also ordered to pay a $1,200 fine and provide a DNA sample. For the hit-and-run, Meier imposed one year of probation to run consecutive to the OWI sentence, with restitution still to be determined.
No electronic monitoring was ordered, and Lloyd was taken into custody immediately following the hearing.
Traffic Citations Thrown Out
In addition to the lenient sentence, Judge Meier dismissed five related traffic tickets, including speeding on the freeway, deviating from his lane, operating without insurance, failure to notify police of a crash, and refusing a chemical test.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
Why Repeat OWIs Keep Happening
This case illustrates what many Kenosha County residents already suspect — that soft-on-crime judges are allowing repeat drunk drivers back on the road with little consequence. Lloyd’s six-month work-release sentence for a third OWI, coupled with probation for leaving the scene of a crash, helps explain why some offenders go on to commit their fourth and fifth OWIs before finally facing real accountability.
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5 Responses
100% agree with the first paragraph. Judges with no shame or accountability. What do they care? Easy paycheck and protected by immunity. I’d bet Judge Jodi Meier wasn’t near the top of her graduation classes in law school.
Jodi was woefully unqualified to become a judge and she has done nothing to change that. Once a garbage defense attorney, always a garbage defense attorney.
She, Iverson and Big Angie are all on the same level – bottom.
Awe, someone is mad about all of the female judges. Poor you.
“a 27-month driver’s license revocation, and an ignition interlock requirement for his third OWI.” Does anyone think he will comply? Must we wait until someone else is hurt?
Kenosha County court system is a joke! This judge must know him to give him such a low sentence.