SUPERIOR - A northwestern Wisconsin man has been sentenced to three years behind bars for his ninth drunken driving conviction.

Seventy-three-year-old Norman Erickson drove his pickup truck into the ditch in the village of Lake Nebagamon on Dec. 17, 2010.

A criminal complaint says Erickson told a Douglas County sheriff's deputy he didn't know how he ended up in the ditch and admitted drinking earlier that day.

The Superior Daily Telegram says Erickson earlier pleaded guilty to driving drunk, his ninth offense.

He was sentenced to three years imprisonment and three years extended supervision.

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