'Have you had enough?' Man arrested for 4th OWI after hit-and-run; another after striking a squad

MILWAUKEE -- “This is beyond crazy!" Those are the words from Acting Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt, after weekend Operation Drive Sober patrols led to the arrest of a repeat offender, and a driver accused of smashing his vehicle into a squad.

Man arrested for OWI after striking squad (PHOTO: Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office)

The first incident happened around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, March 3. According to a news release from Milwaukee County sheriff's officials, a man, 26, from Townsend, Tennessee struck an unoccupied marked squad car with his pickup truck on I-43 northbound near Brown St. The impact of the crash caused the truck to flip over onto its roof. The Tennessee man was evaluated by emergency responders and didn't complain of any injuries. He was arrested for OWI, first offense. The Marquette University Police Department is investigating the crash.

The second incident happened around 10 p.m. on I-43 southbound near North Ave., where there was a hit-and-run crash. Sheriff's officials say the driver of the vehicle that was hit followed the striking vehicle to a home on Hawley Rd. There, a man, 33, from Milton was arrested for OWI, fourth offense. His prior convictions were in November 2005, July 2007, and September 2008.

The weekend Operation Drive Sober patrols, from 4 p.m. Friday, March 2 through 6 a.m. Monday, March 5 resulted in 14 arrests.

“This is beyond crazy! A fourth offense drunk driver hits a citizen’s car, escapes the scene and we hunt him down and cuff him up. Another drunk driver totals one of our squads and gets arrested. Responsible, sober driving must become a reality, not an elusive dream! Have you had ENOUGH?!” Acting Sheriff Schmidt said in the release.