Greenfield police chase, crash; woman accused of stealing infant formula
Danielle Butler
GREENFIELD, Wis. - A 25-year-old Milwaukee woman is accused of leading Greenfield police on a miles-long, high-speed police chase that ended in a crash after allegedly stealing baby formula from a Walgreens. The accused is Danielle Butler – and she faces the following criminal counts:
- Neglecting a child-specified harm did not occur and child under 6 years of age (2 counts)
- Vehicle operator flee/elude officer causing damage to property
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Misdemeanor retail theft
- Bail jumping (misdemeanor)
Police chase after alleged theft
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Greenfield police were dispatched to the Walgreens at 27th and Layton on Monday, March 3 for a retail theft complaint. Before police arrived on the scene, they were made aware the suspect was driving a Chevy Malibu with a plate in the rear window and had taken off eastbound on W. Layton Avenue.
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Officers attempted a traffic stop on S. 27th Street just a few blocks from the Walgreens. The Malibu pulled over -- but when an officer approached the vehicle, the driver fled at a high rate of speed. A police chase ensued on westbound I-894.
The complaint indicates speeds during the police chase exceeded 110 miles an hour. The driver was noted as swerving in and out of vehicles -- "even through narrow lanes in construction zones. At one point, the Malibu attempted to weave in between two vehicles -- and struck an Amazon truck, which caused the Malibu to spin out and hit a concrete wall before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the freeway. The entire length of the pursuit was 3.6 miles.
Watch entire police chase
Greenfield police chase, crash
Dashcam video shows a Greenfield police chase that ended up on westbound I-894 and later a crash at Forest Home Avenue.
Eventually, the defendant exited the vehicle and came back to officers. During this time, one child exited the vehicle -- and a second was removed by officers. The defendant later admitted in an interview with investigators that "neither of her children have car seats in the vehicle," the complaint says.
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Walgreens manager interviewed
What they're saying:
Officers who responded to the Walgreens spoke with a manager. The manager indicated the defendant "asked for several cans of baby formula which are behind the counter. The clerk rang up 6 cans of infant formula which were placed in a bag and handed to Butler," the complaint says.
The defendant used a WIC card to pay for the formula, but did not complete payment. That is when the complaint says she exited the store. The complaint says Butler "refused to come back into the store and pay and began throwing merchandise into her car."
In her interview with police, Butler admitted to stealing from Walgreens.
What's next:
Butler made her initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Thursday, March 6. Cash bond was set at $10,000.
Butler is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 14.
Greenfield police chase, crash; woman in custody, 2 kids in car
One woman was arrested after a high-speed chase ended in a crash on the highway earlier this week in Greenfield.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.