Waukesha man accused of driving drunk with a 4-year-old child in the back seat

MILWAUKEE -- A 36-year-old Waukesha man faces multiple charges after allegedly driving drunk with a 4-year-old child in the back seat of his vehicle.

A Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office news release indicates dispatch operators received several calls around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 15 from motorists saying they had been struck by a black Toyota on I-41 northbound near Mayfair Road. One of the motorists followed the fleeing vehicle and saw the car strike a barrier wall at Capitol Drive and continue driving with a flat right front tire until exiting at Appleton Avenue.

The Menomonee Falls Police Department and Waukesha County Sheriff's Department was notified about this driver.

Menomonee Falls police located the vehicle, which did not stop, and deployed stop sticks. The vehicle, now with three flat tires, stopped near County Line Road.

Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene and detected an odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath. A four-year-old child was in the back seat, restrained in a child seat.

The 36-year-old man tested .147 on a preliminary breath test. He was then taken into custody. The Waukesha man faces a possible charge of OWI-3rd with passenger under age 16 in vehicle. His prior OWI convictions were in September 2009 and August 2015. He will also be charged with Hit and Run, a misdemeanor. Further charges are anticipated from the Menomonee Falls Police Department.

The child in this case was turned over to Child Protective Services.

If convicted on both charges, the Waukesha man faces up to four years confinement.