George Reel pleads guilty; fatal crash at 60th and Burleigh
George Reel
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man accused in a fatal crash that happened at 60th and Burleigh on Dec. 31, 2020 pleaded guilty on Monday, Nov. 1 to two of six charges against him. The accused is George Reel.
Reel pleaded guilty on Monday to:
- 2nd-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Cause injury/operate controlled substance
Four other charges against Reel were dismissed and read in for the purposes of sentencing. They include:
- 2nd-degree reckless homicide
- Knowingly operating while revoked (cause death)
- Bail jumping-felony
- Homicide by vehicle use-control substance
Officials say the crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. on Dec. 31. They say the suspect was driving a vehicle that sideswiped two cars that were stopped for a red traffic signal at the intersection of N. 60th Street and W. Burleigh Street.
Fatal crash at 60th and Burleigh
The suspect's vehicle proceeded to disregard the red traffic signal and collided with a third vehicle. The impact of the collision caused the suspect's vehicle to strike a pedestrian and flip over, coming to a rest on its roof. The pedestrian, a 36-year-old man from Milwaukee, has been identified as Arthur "A.J." Baker.
Arthur Baker
A report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office states that one of the vehicles involved in the crash spun around and landed on top of Baker. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reel is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2022.
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