State v. Severe

MICHAEL A. WOLFF, Judge.

Vanessa Severe was charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) and, because of two prior offenses, she was charged as a persistent offender. The persistent offender statute — which raises the offense from a misdemeanor to a class D felony— requires the state to present evidence to the trial court of her prior convictions and *641findings of guilt before the case is tried to a jury. The state submitted two prior alcohol-related offenses — a class B misdemeanor DWI conviction and a municipal DWI guilty plea that resulted in a suspended imposition of sentence. Upon the…