Charged: Records show Regina Mitchell, driver in crash that killed her son, never had a valid license

MILWAUKEE COUNTY (WITI) -- The mother of a seven-month-old baby killed in a horrific crash early Wednesday, March 18th near W. Appleton Avenue and W. Burleigh has now been criminally charged.

22-year-old Regina Mitchell of Milwaukee faces three charges in the case:

Shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18th, police were dispatched to the 6300 block of W. Appleton Avenue. There, they found a four-door 1998 Mercedes Benz laying on its driver's side, appearing as though it had rolled several times. The vehicle was pinned in between a building and a light pole -- at about a 90-degree angle.

Regina Mitchell was found seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle, and police say she appeared to be trapped.

The Milwaukee Fire Department was on scene, and first responders were attempting to provide aid to Mitchell. The Jaws of Life were used to extricate Mitchell from the vehicle. First responders also had to cut the doors of the vehicle off, along with the roof for the extraction.

O'Ryan Shaw

After about 20 minutes, first responders extricated seven-month-old O'Ryan Shaw. First responders say they were unaware the baby was in the vehicle, as Mitchell told them she was the vehicle's only occupant, according to the criminal complaint.

Fire officials observed an infant car seat hanging upside down with an infant loosely hanging out of it. O'Ryan Shaw was unresponsive. The complaint indicates the child declined rapidly. He was taken to Children's Hospital with obvious swelling to his head and abdomen. He died at the hospital.

EMS crews transporting Mitchell to the hospital reported she was still apparently unaware her baby boy was in the vehicle -- as she was talking about how she was going to get to work in the morning. Police say Mitchell told them she had been at a friend's house prior to the crash, where she was drinking -- saying she had one Long Island. Police say Mitchell told them she didn't know where her friend's house was or where she was going.

The complaint indicates Mitchell stated several times that she was the sole occupant of the vehicle, and police say she "appeared to be dazed and confused" -- not remembering where she was drinking, nor could she remember anything that happened before the crash occurred.

Police believe Mitchell was operating at a high rate of speed prior to the crash. An investigator with MPD's Crash Reconstruction Unit observed "extensive front end damage" to the vehicle at the scene of the crash. Large amounts of debris and personal property was found strewn throughout the roadway and sidewalk. Pieces of brick and marble were found to have broken off the building that the vehicle struck.

An infant car seat was found to be not properly secured in the rear seat in the vehicle, the complaint says.

The Crash Reconstruction Unit investigator determined the crash occurred due to Mitchell operating at a high rate of speed and losing control.

An autopsy was performed on seven-month-old O'Ryan Shaw. That autopsy determined Shaw's cause of death to be blunt force injury to his head.

As for Mitchell, a blood draw shows her BAC was .124, according to the complaint.

Mitchell has never been issued a driver's license, police say. She was convicted in March 15th, 2012 of operating without a driver's license, and no insurance. She failed to pay a fine on July 25th, 2012, her license status was suspended. A notice of suspension was mailed to Mitchell's home on July 27th, 2012. She never reinstated her driver's license, nor has she ever gotten a valid driver's license, according to the complaint.