(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
JEFFERSON, Wis. — Christopher Garrett Rias, 30, of the 600 block of Fairway Circle in Jefferson, has now been charged with his fifth known operating while intoxicated offense after accumulating four OWI arrests in roughly 13 months across four Wisconsin counties — including a felony case in which prosecutors allege he showed up intoxicated to an elementary school while working as a substitute teacher.
Rias was charged March 2, 2026 in Jefferson County with OWI (second offense) and three counts of bail jumping following a February 27, 2026 traffic stop near East John Street and South Rockwell Avenue in the City of Jefferson.
According to the criminal complaint, an officer stopped Rias for operating with a suspended license. The officer reported detecting the odor of intoxicants, observing red and glossy eyes, and hearing thick, slurred speech. Rias allegedly failed portions of field sobriety testing and provided a preliminary breath test reading of .16%.
Prosecutors allege Rias was on active bond in three separate OWI cases at the time of the stop and was subject to conditions requiring absolute sobriety and no new crimes.
Why Is This Charged As A “Second” OWI?
Given the public record of multiple pending OWI cases, many readers have asked why the Jefferson County case is charged as an OWI (second offense).
Jefferson County District Attorney Monica Hall addressed that directly in an email to Kenosha County Eye.
“Open cases do not count as prior convictions,” Hall wrote Tuesday morning. “This case may need to be amended if other cases resolve prior to this one.”
Under Wisconsin law, OWI penalties are based on prior convictions — not pending charges. Because Rias has only one prior conviction of record (a 2019 Winnebago County OWI), the Jefferson County case is currently charged as a second offense.
However, if one or more of the pending 2025 cases results in conviction before the Jefferson case is resolved, the charge level could increase.
The 13-Month Spiral
From February 2025 through February 2026, Rias accumulated four new OWI arrests.
Kenosha County — February 8, 2025
Deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash near the 12000 block of State Highway 142 in the Town of Paris. According to the complaint, Rias had slurred speech, glassy red eyes and swayed while standing. Investigators located multiple empty 50-milliliter liquor bottles, a beer can, and a partially consumed wine bottle inside the vehicle.
He was charged with OWI (second offense) and released on a no-cash bail with conditions including no alcohol and no new crimes.
Milwaukee County — August 11, 2025
Police responded to a crash in the 3800 block of East Layton Avenue in Cudahy. Officers reported a strong odor of intoxicants, slurred speech and red glassy eyes. A blood test later showed a .32% alcohol concentration — four times the legal limit.
He was charged with OWI (third offense). After failing to appear in court, a warrant was issued and a $1,500 cash bond was set upon his arrest.
Waukesha County — October 30, 2025 (Felony OWI)
This case drew the most attention.
According to the Waukesha County criminal complaint, Rias was working as a substitute physical education teacher at Bay Lane Elementary School in Muskego when administrators received an anonymous tip that he appeared intoxicated.
A school resource officer reported that Rias had extremely slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and an odor of intoxicants. A preliminary breath test allegedly registered .36% BrAC.
Surveillance footage reviewed by police reportedly showed Rias arriving alone to the school, stumbling, nearly falling multiple times, swaying while walking, and struggling with balance as he entered the building.
Police later discovered he had an active warrant in the Milwaukee County OWI case.
He was charged with OWI (fourth offense), a Class H felony, and bail jumping. A $10,000 cash bond was set along with strict conditions including absolute sobriety, no possession of alcohol, no driving without a valid license, and pretrial supervision with monitoring.
Jefferson County — February 27, 2026
Despite those pending cases and bond conditions, prosecutors now allege Rias consumed alcohol again and drove in Jefferson while on bond in three counties.
He is charged with OWI (second offense), felony bail jumping, and two misdemeanor bail jumping counts.
DPI License Now Under Investigation
When Kenosha County Eye first reported on Rias in November 2025, public records from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction listed his teaching license as valid.
As of this week, DPI’s online database lists his license status as “Under Investigation.”
Approximately four months ago, Kenosha County Eye sought comment from DPI regarding whether the felony OWI case and multiple pending charges would impact his licensure. DPI did not respond at that time and has not provided comment regarding the investigation designation.
Potential Exposure
In the Jefferson County case alone, Rias faces:
- Up to 6 months in jail on the OWI charge
- Up to 6 years in prison on the felony bail jumping charge
- Up to 9 months in jail on each misdemeanor bail jumping count
Combined, that exceeds 8 years of potential imprisonment and more than $31,000 in possible fines in this case alone.
The pending felony OWI (fourth offense) in Waukesha County carries an additional maximum penalty of 6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Court proceedings remain active in Jefferson, Milwaukee, Kenosha and Waukesha counties.
5 Responses
Once having a license revoked or suspended does any vehicle registration in his name become invalid ?
Sure other family members still need to drive but they could get those vehicles registered in their own names.
Yes I understand that families can let anyone drive their vehicles but once convicted of OWI there should be some kind of registration holds.
Just another hoop to jump through.
Also puts pressure on the rest of the family to protect their own registered vehicles from being use illegally.
Just asking
Interesting that the SRO only became involved after a tip ?!?
Doesn’t or isn’t part of a SRO duties to monitor or observe teachers in this way ? First thing in the morning ? Daily rounds during first period ?
I mean come on, the smell of alcohol at .36 in an elementary school didn’t cross paths with the SRO almost immediately upon being in the building ?
If this isn’t part of the daily responsibility of an SRO maybe I’m expecting too much out of the people we trust with our children for 8 hours a day
I understand that arrests can’t count as convictions, but I still believe the law could be amended so that in most cases they would be counted as 3rd 4th 5th whatever for the reoccurring charges and they could be amended downward should some of the prior events and up in, “not guilty” decisions. Most DUI cases with professional drinkers are easy to prosecute and prove, while the idiots of mad and other similar groups keep demanding that the allowable BAC be lowered, they ignore the fact that most people who are continuously being caught for drunken driving have blood levels three times the legal limit, or more. They obviously aren’t deterred by any level, and as we’ve seen with this clown, they also aren’t deterred by slaps on the wrist. It’s easy to make a mistake, I can see being lenient on a first offense, but after that it’s a lifestyle. If convicted on all these various accounts, just throw him in the chipper shredder.
When he gets convicted, the charges can be amended upward. Wanting it done in reverse violates that whole pesky “innocent until proven guilty” thing…. or do our rights not matter?
And yesterday he was let out again on a signature bond