"My druggie son is here:" Parents of man accused of 6th OWI called 911 just before crash on I-94 that killed good Samaritan
DELAFIELD -- 37-year-old Frank Schiller of Oconowmooc faces 10 charges in connection with a crash that killed a good Samaritan on I-94 in Delafield. Prosecutors say Schiller was out on bail at the time of the crash, and has a pending case in which he's accused of his fifth/sixth OWI offense. For the first time on Tuesday, July 18th, we heard a 911 call placed by Schiller's parents just before that fatal crash.
Frank Schiller
Right before he allegedly caused the crash that killed 48-year-old Peter Enns, his parents made a last-minute attempt to save Schiller's life, not knowing that soon, he'd be accused of his sixth OWI.
"It's not an emergency, I'm sorry. My drug -- druggie son is here, and something's gotta be done about him," James Schiller told the dispatcher.
"He's threatening me," Kathy Schiller told the dispatcher.
"C'mon Frank. Knock it off. You're going to go to jail now -- where you belong," James Schiller said.
Authorities say the 911 call is under investigation by Summit police.
As Schiller made his way outside the family home, there was a realization he could soon be behind the wheel of a Ford Taurus parked in the driveway.
Dispatcher: "Does he have keys to that?"
"I don't know if he's got them on him or not," James Schiller said.
Frank Schiller
Peter Enns
By 9:00 p.m. on July 8th, police say Frank Schiller hit Enns, who had stopped along I-94 to help a woman with a flat tire -- just west of Cushing Park Road in Delafield.
"There's been a horrible car accident. Mile marker 285," a 911 caller said. "There's a guy. He's dead in the road."
Dispatcher: "Who is in the road?"
"The guy who was helping us change the tire, the caller said.
Kristine Kirk heard the crash from her back porch.
"The biggest crash that I've ever heard," Kirk said.
Scene of Delafield fatal crash
Scene of Delafield fatal crash
Kirk said she was devastated to learn Schiller was allegedly intoxicated, and Enns lost his life.
"This all could have been prevented -- could have been prevented, especially if his own parents made the initial 911 call," Kirk said.
A criminal complaint notes that Schiller's mother believed Schiller "was high and would try to evade officers." When asked why they thought Schiller was high, the father "indicated the defendant was walking kind of funny and looked 'a little bit tipsy.'"
Frank Schiller
Court documents indicate Schiller's vehicle, traveling between 75 and 80 miles-per-hour, was attempting to pass other vehicles on the right shoulder prior to the crash. Due to the crash involving Schiller's vehicle and the minivan, two other vehicles had to swerve to avoid the incident, and they crashed. The minivan ended up in a ditch 30 yards away with four children inside. In all, five vehicles were involved in this incident.
Three others were hurt in this crash. A 56-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries not believed life-threatening. An 11-year-old child was taken to Children's Hospital for treatment of injuries not believed life-threatening. And Schiller himself had to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.
According to a criminal complaint, at the hospital, investigators could detect an odor of intoxicants coming from Schiller, and he "stated that he did not remember the incident" in Delafield.
Schiller faces the following criminal charges in this case:
Cash bond has been set at $1 million.
Online court records show Schiller has four open cases, filed between March and June of 2017.
The latest cases, filed on June 23rd in Waukesha County, charge him with possession of narcotic drugs (two counts) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was out on $500 cash bail in each of the two cases at the time of Saturday's crash.
A case filed in April out of Washington County charges him with two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of felony bail jumping.
A case filed in March out of Milwaukee County charges him with OWI, fifth or sixth offense. A $2,500 signature bond was set in that case on March 15th. A criminal complaint in that case accuses Schiller of driving while under the influence near 92nd and Bluemound on March 9th, 2017. The complaint says a 911 call came in regarding a man passed out in the driver's seat of a running vehicle. A needle was located on the roof of the vehicle, with a total of three needles recovered, prosecutors say, and several witnesses were observed trying to help the driver. Prosecutors say Schiller admitted to using heroin and cocaine.
His prior OWI convictions took place in 2000, 2005 and two in 2008.