December 14, 2020 – Washington Co., WI – Over the weekend the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested five individuals for operating while under the influence of intoxicants while operating a motor vehicle. Two of the cases are highlighted below:
Sheriff’s Deputy and Good Samaritan Threatened by Driver and Passenger:
On Saturday evening at 11:45 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 5800 block of CTH K in the Town of Hartford for a possible accident involving the ejection of an occupant.
Upon deputies arrival he discovered one individual in the roadway and another individual in the passenger seat of the vehicle. The deputy quickly determined the vehicle simply went into the ditch and the driver passed out on the roadway.
The driver, a 25-year-old Dodge County man, was initially unresponsive but came to and tried to grab the leg of the Good Samaritan that stopped to help. The deputy ordered the man to stay on the ground at which time the man grabbed the deputy’s leg and tried to take the deputy to the ground. As this struggle ensued, the passenger then exited the vehicle and also began to aggressively approach the deputy.
The deputy was able to pull his Taser out and the passenger retreated while the driver continued to aggressively approach the deputy. The deputy deployed the Taser and was able to take the driver, as he continued to be combative, into custody before his back up arrived.
The driver was arrested for resisting/obstructing, felony bail jumping, and OWI 1st. The passenger was arrested for felony bail jumping and multiple felony warrants through Dodge Co. and Probation & Parole.
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis said, “I am thankful the deputy was there to protect the Good Samaritan from harm. This is the current reality for law enforcement where all too often an individual’s decision not to comply with a lawful order results in escalation of the incident. I am thankful neither the suspect nor our deputy was hurt.”
Sheriff’s Office Investigates Severe Snowmobile Crash:
On Saturday evening, December 12, 2020 at 8:21 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Eisenbahn Trail near the 7400 block of Sleep Hollow Road after a female passenger on a snowmobile contacted 911 to report a snowmobile crash.
The investigation revealed the operator, a 30-year-old man, was illegally operating a snowmobile on the Eisenbahn Trail when he lost control and both occupants were ejected.
Neither individual was wearing a helmet. The passenger suffered a broken arm and the driver was transported to Froedtert Wauwatosa with life-threatening severe injuries.
Enforcement action for operating on a closed trail and OWI causing injury are pending.