Sheriff: Salem man grabbed steering wheel to force crash that injured wife

ROCHESTER -- A 39-year-old Salem man was arrested and could face attempted homicide charges after an incident in the Village of Rochester late Saturday, Feb. 9.

"Well, it's nuts, obviously," said Jeff Schimek, Dover.

Attempted homicide case in Rochester

Deputies were dispatched to a crash scene near County Highway J and County Highway A around 10:45 p.m. The operator of a vehicle, a 40-year-old woman from the Village of Salem, had called 911. She indicated her husband had grabbed the steering wheel and turned them off the road, into a tree. A news release from the Racine County Sheriff's Office said prior to grabbing the steering wheel, the husband stated that he hoped she crashed and killed them both.

Jeff Schimek

"If the guy tried to kill both him and his wife, it's pretty obvious he wasn't thinking right," said Schimek. "People don't want to die."

When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the vehicle against a tree. The airbags had deployed, and there was damage to the front of the car.

Sheriff's officials planned to seek a charge of attempted first degree intentional homicide against the 39-year-old Salem man.

"Yeah, it's a shame," said Schimek. "We got too much going on in this world, and people don't think enough about each other enough."

The husband told deputies he was not injured. His wife was transported to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

The 39-year-old man was taken to the Racine County Jail.

Attempted homicide case in Rochester