June 26, 2020 – Germantown, WI – Early this Friday morning, June 26, 2020 at 1:35 a.m., a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle on I41 near Pioneer Road for what should have been a routine traffic contact. The vehicle had expired registration. These types of stops routinely end with a warning for the driver to correct the violation.
Things started to change when the driver, a 31-year-old man from Milwaukee, gave the deputy a false name. The deputy was able to determine the man was not who he claimed to be, and he was wanted for felony parole violations. The warrant entry indicated he may flee, may be armed and known to resist law enforcement. His background includes multiple weapon violations.
As the deputies approached the driver the second time, this time knowing the driver’s true identity, the man fled in the vehicle. The driver ended up going southbound in the northbound lanes of I41 into the Village of Germantown where Germantown Police became involved after the driver swerved at the police squad.
The driver exited at Holy Hill Road where a deputy later found the driver at the dead end of Deerwood Circle in the Village of Germantown during a secondary canvas. The driver quickly drove at the deputy, but the deputy was able to take an evasive backwards maneuver to avoid a collision. The driver fled down Dandee Drive and subsequently crashed at the dead end of Isabelle Court where he fled on foot.
At 6:48 a.m. the Washington County Sheriff’s office received a 911 call from a business in the 2800 block of Scenic Road in the Town of Polk reporting a man came to the business stating he had been kidnapped. He stated he escaped after several days and needed to use the phone to make arrangements to be picked up by a friend. As luck would have it, the same deputy involved in the previous incident was the same deputy to arrive at this call. The deputy arrived and saw the same 31-year-old man from the previous incident. After a brief foot chase he was taken into custody and is now facing multiple criminal charges including felony eluding and two counts of recklessly endangering safety.
The sheriff’s office would like to thank the Germantown Police Department Wisconsin for the assistance with the initial pursuit. Washington County law enforcement may wear a variety of different uniforms, but we are all united in our mission to enhance public safety working together. We would also like to thank the business that called as they recognized something was not right. It is community engagement like this that makes our county a great place to live.
Pursuits are inherently dangerous for suspects, law enforcement and especially for unsuspecting innocent citizens that cross into the path. It is the policy of this office to ensure that emergency operation of police vehicles is done in a manner that provides a reasonable amount of safety to all. Philosophically, it is a careful balance for law enforcement. We owe the public we serve to be as cautious as possible while also keeping in mind that the community expects that criminal behavior is held accountable. Both were accomplished this morning.
Sheriff Martin R. Schulteis
