KENOSHA, Wis. — Matthew J. Mortensen, 49, of Burlington, an internet troll who Kenosha County Eye has seen trolling people across the internet and a repeat criminal offender with multiple prior convictions, was given probation Wednesday by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David Hughes for a felony fourth-offense OWI. Mortensen faced up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the felony OWI alone, but Hughes sentenced him to three years of probation and one year of conditional jail, granted work-crew privileges and did not prohibit electronic monitoring, meaning Mortensen can potentially serve that time on electronic monitoring rather than sitting behind bars. The sentence continues what Kenosha County Eye has repeatedly criticized as the Kenosha judiciary’s very soft approach to crime, this time involving a man convicted of his fourth OWI.

Mortensen pleaded guilty to fourth-offense OWI and failure to install an ignition-interlock device. A charge of operating while revoked was dismissed but read in. Prosecutors recommended three years of probation and 12 months of conditional jail with work-crew and electronic-monitoring privileges. Hughes ultimately imposed three years of probation and one year of conditional jail on the felony OWI, granted work crew, denied work release and was silent on electronic monitoring. Mortensen was immediately remanded into custody. He was also ordered to pay $4,779 in fines and costs, had his driver’s license revoked for 36 months and was ordered to use an ignition-interlock device. On the ignition-interlock conviction, Hughes imposed an additional $450 fine plus costs.

The latest case stemmed from a June 8, 2025 crash in the Town of Brighton. According to the criminal complaint, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded at about 7:45 p.m. to a single-vehicle crash in the 26100 block of County Highway JB. They found a blue Toyota in a ditch with disabling damage throughout the vehicle. Mortensen suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital.

Mortensen reportedly told emergency personnel that he crashed because he swerved to avoid a squirrel. He also admitted to emergency personnel that he had consumed four alcoholic beverages before driving. Deputies learned that Mortensen’s Wisconsin driver’s license was revoked and that he was required to have an ignition-interlock device.

At the hospital, a deputy showed Mortensen his identification card, which stated in bold red letters, “THIS IS NOT A LICENSE.” When asked why he was driving, Mortensen admitted he knew he shouldn’t have been driving and said he was working on getting his license back. He claimed he didn’t drive often and that this was a “one-time thing.” When questioned about the required ignition-interlock device, Mortensen acknowledged he had not yet gotten one installed.

Mortensen later admitted drinking alcoholic hard seltzers before driving. Because of his injuries, sobriety testing was performed while he remained in a hospital bed. A deputy reported observing multiple clues of impairment during the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. Mortensen then agreed to a preliminary breath test.

The result was 0.156% BrAC, nearly twice the ordinary .08 legal limit. Mortensen was arrested for operating while intoxicated, and a blood sample was subsequently taken at the hospital.

This was not Mortensen’s first, second or third OWI.

The complaint lists three previous OWI-related convictions stemming from arrests in 2016 and twice in 2020. Those prior offenses elevated the June 2025 OWI to a Class H felony, exposing Mortensen to as much as six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Mortensen’s previous cases show an escalating pattern of drinking and driving.

In February 2020, Mortensen was stopped after a deputy observed his Chevrolet Impala repeatedly swerving, crossing the white fog line and traveling approximately three to four feet across the center line. Mortensen initially claimed he had consumed only “one beer.” Deputies reported smelling alcohol, observing extremely slow movements and hearing slightly slurred speech.

Mortensen eventually admitted drinking three beers and a shot about a half-hour before being stopped. He told deputies that he believed he was intoxicated and possibly over the legal limit. A preliminary breath test registered .169, and a subsequent evidentiary breath test registered .16.

Only months later, in October 2020, Mortensen was accused of drunk driving again. A deputy discovered his running vehicle about 100 feet off the roadway in an embankment near County Highway JB and State Highway 75. Mortensen claimed his brakes failed while he was attempting to make a turn after leaving a bar and concert hall. The deputy reported that Mortensen had glossy eyes, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol and difficulty maintaining his balance.

Mortensen’s driver’s license had already been revoked because of an alcohol-related offense, and he was required to have an ignition-interlock device installed. He didn’t have one. Despite the circumstances, Mortensen reportedly told the deputy he planned to call a tow truck to pull his vehicle out and then drive home.

During field sobriety testing, Mortensen repeatedly struggled with his balance. At one point, another deputy had to extend his arms to prevent Mortensen from falling. During another test, Mortensen again lost his balance, and a deputy had to position himself to prevent him from falling. Testing was eventually stopped for safety reasons. Mortensen refused a breath test before a blood sample was obtained.

That 2020 prosecution also alleged Mortensen was a repeat offender because of a prior felony larceny conviction in Lake County, Illinois.

Despite that criminal history, three previous OWI convictions, a revoked driver’s license, failure to install a court-ordered ignition-interlock device, a serious rollover crash and a .156 preliminary breath test, Mortensen did not receive a prison sentence from Hughes.

Instead, for a felony fourth OWI carrying as much as six years behind bars, Hughes chose probation and conditional jail — another sentence likely to fuel criticism that Kenosha County’s judiciary continues to go very easy on repeat offenders, even when the crime is a felony fourth-offense OWI.