Friday, May 3, 2013
Wisconsin's drunk driving-related incidents are the highest in the United States and state Legislators have crafted six bills to confront the issue, but they carries a hefty price tag.
Some state Republican Legislators want to toughen the laws for habitual drunk drivers and first-time drunk drivers if they cause an injury or killed someone, but the price tag for those laws could cost taxpayers up to $236 million, according to a story in the Wisconsin State Journal. Rep. Jim Ott (R-Mequon) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) have introduced six bills to the Senate and House. The bills would: Because of the jail time provisions, the state expects to have to build 17 facilities that would each house 300 people. "A fiscal estimate from the state Department of Corrections put the cost of the bill regarding third and subsequent offenses at between $169 million and $204 million annually. Other agencies also weighed in, …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Muskego Police pull over an Oak Creek woman after night of drinking what she claimed was no more than one ounce of liquor.
An Oak Creek woman has been charged with her 3rd OWI in Waukesha County Circuit Court after recording a blood alcohol level of 0.267, or more than three times the legal limit, after a night of drinking, according to reports. Police reports say Kristine Schmidt was pulled over near Janesville Road and 116th Street after Muskego Police saw the vehicle the 43-year-old was driving take an extra-wide turn, crossing the center line. She had difficulty exiting the car, and police noted she had slurred speech and detected an odor of alcohol. Schmidt told police that she had four or five mixed drinks, which she said was "equivalent to the size of a normal shot of liquor" throughout the evening at Bushy's Pub in Muskego. If convicted of the …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
A fairly quiet week to report from the Muskego Police Department...keep up the good work, people!
- POLICE & FIRE
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Saturday, January 19
Call it the post-holiday blahs or a bout of flu keeping those who would otherwise get into trouble home, but here's the stunningly short list of incidents from the Muskego Police Department's crime blotter. Friday, Jan. 11 – Saturday, Jan. 12 – A homeowner in the W18100 block of Martin Drive reported a bicycle had been left, abandoned on her property for the last month. The bike was picked up and taken to the police department property garage. Sunday, Jan. 13 – A 33-year-old Waukesha man was arrested for drunk driving in the W16600 block of Janesville Road. Monday, Jan. 16 – A 20-year-old New Berlin woman was arrested for shoplifting at Kohl’s Department Store.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
No traffic stop is routine and Muskego Police log several incidents in the past week where additional 'cargo' was found in vehicles.
Muskego Police never know what can happen during a 'routine' stop, and this week, it seemed that drivers were intent on carrying their pharmaceuticals with them. On Dec. 17, around 9 p.m., a traffic stop on Moorland Drive at Commerce Center Parkway (near Walmart) resulted in a 17-year-old Mukwonago woman being arrested for possession of heroin paraphernalia. Just a few hours later, a 27-year-old woman from Pewaukee was also pulled over in the area of College and Racine Avenue at 1:21 a.m. The stop resulted in her arrest for operating after suspension, operating without insurance, and possession of heroin paraphernalia. Later that morning, around 11:30 a.m. heroin paraphernalia was again found at the scene in the Piggly Wiggly parking …
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
An animated and very angry intoxicated man also proved entertaining for readers.
Crime stories can be amusing, and readers seemed to love this one, as a 24-year-old New Berlin man on his way to a bar was pulled over after nearly hitting a concrete barrier and taking out a few orange construction barrels. Yep, drunk driving was the charge, but it was the continued threats that reports say the man made that had many thinking, "Dude if you're in a hole, stop digging." The story, which ran late in July can be read here: Spittin' Mad: Man Charged With 3rd OWI After Driving Erratically, Threatening Patrons and Police Missed the current list of most-read stories? Catch up here: 8- Legislation Could Deal Roll-Your-Own Cigarette Stores a Kick in the Ash 9- 11-Hour Police Standoff Ends Without Incident 10 - Cougar Spotted in …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
An Oak Creek man arrested for drunk driving last week has six prior convictions, but only one since 1996. How much should that time span factor into what punishment he faces now, if at all?
Should the time between drunk driving arrests have an impact on how those people are handled in the courts? An Oak Creek man was arrested for operating while intoxicated last week near Mitchell International Airport. The 51-year-old man has six prior convictions, but only one in the last 16 years. If a person’s second OWI comes at least 10 years after the first, then it is generally treated like a “first offense” in Wisconsin. But if it happens a third time — no matter when any of them occurred — then the person is considered to have two first-offense convictions and a third-offense conviction. In the case of the Oak Creek man, he was given a two-year prison sentence for his sixth offense, in 2002, but it was “stayed,” essentially turning …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The past week featured an inordinate number of drunk driving arrests, showing that you don't need a law enforcement initiative to get pulled over.
Muskego Police were busy in the past week nabbing motorists for drunk and drugged driving. This comes one week prior to the 'Booze and Belts' initiative which is a statewide effort to crackdown on drunk driving and seltbelt use from Dec. 7 to 16. Here are some folks who may be on Santa's 'naughty' list: Friday, Nov. 30 – Four 16 year old girls from South Milwaukee and St. Francis were cited for trespassing on Mystic Dr. Saturday, Dec. 1 – Sunday, Dec. 2 – Tuesday, Dec. 4 – Wednesday, Dec. 5 – A resident in the W19400 block of Hillview Drive came to the police department to report a theft from his vehicle. Thursday, Dec. 6 – Friday, Dec. 7 – Muskego Public Works Department reported someone stole the street signs on the corner of Lake …
Saturday, November 10, 2012
A head-on collision, and an increase in arrests over the past two weeks litter the police blog this week, prompting a plea from police to think twice before mixing alcohol or drugs with driving.
A 34 year old Muskego woman was arrested for drunken driving after striking another vehicle on Woods Road and Sandy Beach Drive on Nov. 6 and injuring the other driver, according to Muskego Police. The victim was a 19-year-old woman, and an email sent to police from her parents have prompted police to again stress the importance of thinking twice before deciding to drive after you've been drinking. "We had a number of incidents involving alcohol and driving in the last three weeks," said Lt. Dave Constantineau in his weekly newsletter. "Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Regretfully, many people still do not seem to get the message that drinking (or drugging) and driving can have tragic consequences." Constantineau said the woman would …
Monday, October 15, 2012
Muskego police blotter indicates a bad week for "cars v. fill-in-the-blank."
If you're a body shop owner, this week's police blotter could make you smile. Two separate indicidents involving mailbox damage were reported, along with a car vs. deer, and car vs. mayor likely has the vehicles' owners in need of their services. On Friday, Oct. 5, a homeowner in the S6600 block of Hillendale Drive reported he came home to find his lawn and mailbox damaged by an unknown vehicle. The following day, an officer on patrol found a mailbox in the road in the area of College Avenue and Martin Drive, which had been struck and damaged by an unknown vehicle. A tow truck operator also reported striking a deer on Hillendale Drive at Sunnyhill Drive on Tuesday, Oct 9. In addition, as earlier reported, the Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti was …
Saturday, September 22, 2012
A red Dodge Caravan has been associated with several gas drive offs, and police are asking residents to be aware
Muskego Police received a report on Sept. 17 at 10:16 a.m. of a drive off from Jetz Convenience Store. A red Dodge Caravan driven by a white male in his 20’s left without paying and since then has struck twice at Jetz. The car has a Wisconsin license plate of 886-PLP, however, it appears to be altered. In addition, here are other incidents from this week's police blotter: Friday, Sept. 14 – Saturday, Sept. 15 – Sunday, Sept. 16 – Monday, Sept. 17 – Tuesday, Sept. 18 – A 47 year old Wind Lake woman was arrested and charged with shoplifting at Walmart.
Lika Phipps
11:12 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Drinking is a privilege. So is driving. If you can't be responsible, they get taken away, because obviously some people aren't responsible enough, so they have to be treated like children. If you want to get trunk off of your tuches, do it at home and stay there. No one wants to deal with obnoxious people who think they're Benny Parsons and end up doing too much damage than what it's worth. more ›