Washington County pursuit, crash; 17-year-old driver charged

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WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. - A Washington County teen has been charged after a Saturday, Jan. 27 high-speed pursuit and crash.

The sheriff's office identified the 17-year-old as Dresden Fritsch. Court records show he is charged as an adult with fleeing/eluding an officer and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Authorities said he was also cited for marijuana/paraphernalia possession.

According to the sheriff's office, a deputy was driving on I-41 in Germantown when he spotted a speeding car around 1:30 a.m. The car's speed "reduced drastically" as it approached the squad, and the deputy pulled off the highway near Pioneer Road.

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However, the sheriff's office said, the deputy immediately reentered the highway and saw the car "drastically" speed up – paced at 90 mph. The deputy tried to stop the car, going roughly 125 mph, but said the speeding car continued to pull away until the deputy lost sight.

The deputy spotted the car near the State Highway 33 exit in West Bend as it tried to navigate a turn, but was unable to do so because of the speed. The car then struck a median and went into oncoming traffic. The car kept driving the wrong way down State Highway 33, but at slower speeds due to the crash damage.

The sheriff's office said the car eventually stopped and the driver, identified as Fritsch, was taken into custody. One adult passenger and two juvenile passengers were also in the car. The sheriff's office said two of the passengers were cited for underage alcohol and released to their parents.

Fritsch was convicted of OWI in October 2023, the sheriff's office said, and was operating outside his license restrictions at the time of his arrest.

Court records show Fritsch was released from custody Monday on a $10,000 signature bond.