Milwaukee law enforcement officers took a 40-year-old man into custody after he was allegedly drinking and driving on Oct. 29 and driving at speeds of up to 109 m.p.h. The arrest was the 1,000th repeat offender for an OWI offense since 2010. Authorities reported that an officer saw a car headed the wrong way on a local street; however, the driver wouldn’t respond to a traffic stop. The pursuit covered both city streets and the highway and began a few minutes before 3 a.m. It culminated on Highway 41 when the subject hit yellow barrels and a median. His vehicle flew up into the air and crashed into a law enforcement vehicle, hitting the window and hurting the officer.
Another officer attempted to veer out of the way of the crash debris but couldn’t avoid it and got into an accident as well. He sustained minor injuries and was transported to a medical facility for treatment. A second law enforcement vehicle was towed away because it was also damaged due to the debris in the road.
When the accused man was taken into custody, authorities alleged he failed to cooperate with them and emitted a strong odor of alcohol. However, he would not tell them where he had been. He was directed to submit to a blood draw at the medical facility in order to determine his blood-alcohol content level. Along with a DWI charge, he also faces charges of reckless endangerment, fleeing from an officer, battery of an emergency worker, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. He could potentially receive a maximum prison term of 32 years and nine months.
Fleeing the authorities during a chase could mean additional charges in a case. A criminal defense attorney may try to negotiate a plea agreement for a reduced sentence.
Source: FOX 6, “Accused drunk driver leads deputies on chase reaching 109 mph”, Cary Docter, October 29, 2013
