PLATTSMOUTH – A Beaver Lake man who was involved in a hit-and-run incident last summer appeared in court Monday morning for his third DUI charge.
Frank Tagwerker, 68, accepted a plea agreement in Cass County District Court. He pled no contest to a Class IIIA felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol-.15+-third offense.
Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a Class IV felony charge of driving without an ignition interlock permit and a Class II misdemeanor charge of leaving an accident-fail to furnish information. There was no agreement regarding sentencing recommendations.
Deputy County Attorney Richard Fedde told the court authorities learned that a hit-and-run incident had taken place on Byron Road in Beaver Lake on Aug. 8. The victim said the driver of a 1997 Ford Ranger struck their vehicle and then accelerated away from the scene. The collision caused damage to the second car.
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Cass County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Tagwerker at his home. Fedde said they saw paint on his car that matched the color of the second vehicle in the hit-and-run collision.
Deputies noticed the smell of alcohol on Tagwerker’s breath when they were speaking to him. They arrested him after the results of a preliminary breath test showed his blood-alcohol content level was above the .08 legal limit. A chemical test conducted at Cass County Jail revealed a blood-alcohol content level of .189.
Tagwerker had been convicted of two previous DUI incidents. Both convictions took place in May 2022 in Cass County.
Tagwerker remains free on bond. Judge Michael Smith ordered him to obtain a chemical dependency evaluation before his March 27 sentencing hearing.
