Former NDGOP state chair candidate pleads guilty to felony DUI charge

MINOT, N.D. — Robert Howard Wheeler of Underwood, North Dakota, pleaded guilty Wednesday, May 18, in McLean County District Court to a felony DUI charge and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

Wheeler, who was an unsuccessful candidate for chairman of the NDGOP last year, representing the Bastiat Caucus side of the divide in North Dakota’s dominant political party, was arrested in February after an ATV crash that injured both himself and his wife.

Per court records, Wheeler pleaded guilty to violating section 39-08-01.2 of the North Dakota Century Code . That section states that “criminal vehicle injury,” defined as causing “substantial bodily or serious bodily injury to another individual” while driving under the influence of alcohol, is a class C felony. The statute states that the court “shall impose at least one year’s imprisonment” for a first-time violation.

The disorderly conduct charge is a class B misdemeanor.
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