Wauwatosa woman seen "smiling and laughing" while being pursued by police, now criminally charged

WAUWATOSA -- 44-year-old Kristin Sherry of Wauwatosa faces multiple charges in the wake of a multiple vehicle crash that happened near 117th and Burleigh on Saturday, March 4th.

Sherry faces the following charges:


    According to the criminal complaint, an officer in a marked squad was traveling south on 124th Street in Brookfield and waiting to making a right-hand turn onto Burleigh Rd. That's when he witness a blue vehicle pass behind his squad traveling at a high rate of speed. The complaint says when the vehicle proceeded through the intersection, it "almost collided with another vehicle." The officer then followed the vehicle which he observed was "weaving erratically across both lanes of traffic in an apparent attempt to get around two vehicles that were traveling in front of it."

    Multiple vehicle crash near 112th and Burleigh



    The complaint says after following the vehicle for about a half mile with emergency lights and siren activated, the pursuit was terminated near 124th and North Ave.

    Moments later, the complaint says the suspect turned into a gas station and then when leaving, began "traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of North Avenue. The suspect vehicle proceed through the intersection of North Ave. and 124th Street at a high rate of speed, headed directly towards (the officer's) marked squad." The officer, in order to avoid a head-on collision, "had to execute an emergency evasive maneuver." The officer noticed as the suspect vehicle passed, the woman driving was "smiling and laughing."

    Multiple vehicle crash near 112th and Burleigh



    The officer then followed the suspect to a cul-de-sac nearby. He "positioned his squad across the road in an effort to stop the vehicle." The driver then "proceeded to drive through the residential yards" to get around the officer. Again, "it appeared that the operator of the vehicle was smiling and laughing."

     

    A short time later, after the suspect vehicle left the roadway to get around yet another squad car, "the pursuit was terminated due to the increasing danger to the public."

    Multiple vehicle crash near 112th and Burleigh



    A check of the suspect's vehicle registration indicated it was registered to Kristin Sherry of Wauwatosa, the defendant. While continuing to search for the defendant's vehicle, "dispatch advised that the Wauwatosa Police Department called to report the suspect vehicle had been involved in a rollover accident at the intersection of 117th Street and Burleigh Rd."

    If convicted on the more serious attempting to flee charge, Sherry faces up to three-and-a-half years in prison and $10,000 in fines.