Preliminary hearing set for Joplin man charged with ninth DWI

The preliminary hearing for a Joplin man charged with his ninth DWI is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Tuesday before Judge John Nicholas in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Blake J. Engelage, 38, is being held in the Jasper County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond, as well as a $25,000 bond for probation violation.

Engelage crashed his motorcycle in the area of E. 15th Street and S. Michigan Avenue September 29. After noticing Engelage smelled of alcohol and that his eyes were watery and bloodshot, a Joplin Police Department officer asked him to perform sobriety tests and he refused. He later refused to take a blood alcohol test, according to the probable cause statement.

In addition to felony driving while intoxicated as a prior offender, Engelage was cited for driving while revoked. The probable cause statement noted that he had eight prior alcohol-related offenses.

Online court records show Engelage is currently on probation for DWI, after pleading guilty August 21, 2017 in Jasper County Circuit Court and was sentenced to four years in prison for an offense that occurred December 9, 2016.

One week later, he pleaded guilty to another DWI in Jasper County and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was given a suspended sentence on each of the charges and spent four months shock time in prison, according to court records.

Jasper County records also show DWI convictions in 2006, 2012 and 2011. Each time, Engelage was sentenced to prison time, then had his sentence suspended.

Oklahoma records show Engelage pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated charges in Craig County and Payne County in 2011 and 2004.