Milwaukee police officer fired after being charged with OWI

Eric De Vries



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A 33-year-old Milwaukee man, a former Milwaukee police officer, is accused of driving drunk and getting into a wreck that caused injuries.

Eric De Vries is charged with one count of operating while intoxicated causing injury plus operating with prohibited alcohol concentration causing injury.

The charges stem from an incident on October 19, 2012. The criminal complaint against De Vries indicates he was driving a car on I-43 just north of Lincoln Ave. and got involved in a wreck. When emergency responders arrived on the scene, they found the driver's side of the car was up on the concrete wall -- the passenger side on the pavement.

The complaint indicates De Vries suffered severe bleeding from his head. But he was able to exit the vehicle on his own. A passenger in the car also suffered severe bleeding from the wreck. He had to be taken to a hospital where surgery was necessary to close his wounds.

The complaint says an officer road with De Vries in the ambulance where he was to get checked out. The officer smelled alcohol on De Vries' breath. "When asked if he had been drinking, the defendant admitted that he had 'a couple.' When asked "How many a couple was?' De Vries replied, '4 or 5 beers.'"

The complaint indicates samples of De Vries blood tested .118 blood alcohol concentration -- which is higher than the legal limit for driving.

If convicted on the charges, De Vries faces up to one year in jail and $2,000 in fines.

De Vries was discharged from the Milwaukee Police Department on February 20, 2013 for violating one of the core values of the MPD (integrity).

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