'See if he's in there:' Driver arrested after reporting 'voices in the walls of his semi;' drugs recovered

RACINE COUNTY -- A semi driver was arrested after sheriff's officials said he called 911 to report he could hear "voices" in the walls of his semi Friday morning, May 24.

According to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, just after 8 a.m. Friday, deputies responded to the northbound County Highway G exit ramp from I-94 -- where they spoke with the semi driver and initially thought he may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

A search of his vehicle revealed open intoxicants, drugs and drug paraphernalia. A criminal complaint said Shayne Dewitt reported the person in the wall of his truck "may be his friend Jay."

When deputies made contact with Dewitt, "he was standing in front of the semi, staring into the cab through the windshield." He said he wanted a deputy to go into the cab to "see if he's in there" and said "we're going to wait until he comes out." He said he had driven from the Kwik Trip at Highway 20 to the location where deputies found him, stating: "I pulled it over."

No one was found inside the cab. They noted that the back wall paneling had been removed from the sleeper berth, indicating Dewitt possibly removed it to "try and get to the people in the walls."

In the vehicle, deputies found an open can of Miller High Life, a syringe in the garbage can, a cooler with unopened Miller High Life cans, and a baggie with a substance that later tested positive for THC, weighing 3.8 grams. Additionally, the complaint said they found a makeup bag containing a plastic container filled with a substance that tested positive for cocaine, a glass pipe used for smoking meth, a brown jar with a liquid that had a strong chemical smell and a white hard ball, syringes and arm tourniquets.

According to the complaint, Dewitt indicated he last drank beer two days ago. He said he did not smoke meth, and said the last time he smoked THC was "a while back." He said he "deals drugs," indicating "this is my side thing."

The complaint said a search of Dewitt revealed a roach containing a green leafy material that tested positive for THC. When Dewitt saw it, prosecutors said he responded by saying: "What's that?" When told it was from his pocket, he said, "Shut the (expletive) up," and then, "Oh my God, Jay. It looks like a blunt. He got me good."

Field sobriety testing revealed Dewitt was impaired, though a preliminary breath test revealed a result of .00.

Shayne Dewitt, 55, of Neenah faces the following charges:

The criminal complaint noted three prior OWI convictions in Outagamie County in 1997 and 1998.

As Dewitt made his initial court appearance Tuesday, May 28, probable cause was found for further proceedings, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 5. Cash bond was set at $5,000.

Online court records showed Dewitt also received a traffic forfeiture May 24 for failing to take a test for intoxication after an arrest.

In March 2019, he was released on bond in connection with a misdemeanor retail theft out of Outagamie County, ordered to commit no further crimes.