Randy Hopper says politics played role in OWI arrest

FOND DU LAC (AP) -- Former state Sen. Randy Hopper says politics played a role in his drunken driving arrest in Fond du Lac County last fall.

Hopper took the stand Thursday on the first day of his two-day trial. He says his vote to eliminate collective bargaining for most state employees was the catalyst for threats against him.

Hopper, a Republican, lost his seat in a recall election in August. The Reporter newspaper  says Hopper testified that people would leave notes on his car when he would shop at Festival Foods.

Hopper was arrested Oct. 16 after a driver reported him weaving on U.S. Highway 151.
Sheriff Mick Fink calls "bizarre'' any conspiracy theory that members of his office were out to get Hopper.