'Dodged a bullet:' Man accused of 3rd OWI had sober passenger, 1-year-old child in his vehicle, sheriff says

RACINE -- A 31-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested after sheriff's officials said he drove while intoxicated with a 1-year-old child in the vehicle on Monday, Aug. 26.

Reginald Taylor faces the following charges:

According to a criminal complaint, shortly before 9 p.m. on Monday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on I-94 near the County Highway K off-ramp in Caledonia.

Taylor was identified as the driver. The complaint states the deputy detected a strong odor of intoxicants, and noticed Taylor's eyes were bloodshot. In the backseat, a 1-year-old child was found in a small child safety seat.

The complaint said Taylor advised he did not have a driver's license.

Reginald Taylor

Field sobriety testing was performed, and a preliminary breath test revealed a result of .106. Taylor was arrested for OWI.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling

"It's very evident that he had a hard time maintaining his balance," said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. "By his own admission, he had been drinking."

Also in the vehicle was another adult who had not been drinking.

"Why that adult wasn't driving, I don't know," said Sheriff Schmaling.

The complaint noted that due to two prior OWI convictions (his first in 2016 and his second in 2017), Taylor had a .02 alcohol restriction, and a revoked license.

He was taken to the hospital for a blood draw.

Sheriff Schmaling said Taylor was lucky he didn't hurt his passengers, including the child, or anyone else on the roadway.

"He still dodged a bullet," said Sheriff Schmaling "No one is in the hospital, and no one is planning a funeral as a result of his bad choice."

Authorities said the child was picked up at the scene by a family member.

According to the complaint, Taylor was out on bond at the time, in a felony case filed out of Waukesha County in April for manufacturing/delivering THC, less than 200 grams, and maintaining a drug trafficking place, and a misdemeanor case filed out of Milwaukee County in June for operating while revoked.

Taylor was in court for his initial appearance Tuesday, Aug. 27. Cash bond was set at $5,000, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5.