Bayside Police Cite Wrong Way Driver for OWI and Obstruction

In Europe folks drive on the left side of the road, but in America that will end up landing you in the back of a squad car.

Just before 11 p.m. Oct. 10, a resident called 911 to report a driver “swerving all over the place” on Fairy Chasm Road, continually changing speeds from “9 to 35 mph” and driving on the wrong side of the road.

While the caller continued to describe the truck’s movement and direction to dispatch, the truck almost hit a car while on the wrong side of North Port Washington Road, going about 50 mph, according to the police report. It’s only a 35 mph zone there.

caught up with the truck near County Line Road and Port Washington Road near the Bayside/Mequon border. The police report said the truck was weaving back and forth in front of another vehicle, came to a rolling stop at Range Line Road, then quickly took off down the center of the road.

Afraid for this man and other driver’s safety, the officer put on his emergency lights and pulled the man over. The the driver immediately opened his door, and , this can present a huge danger to officers. So, police immediately called for him to close it over the squad’s PA system. It took three times before he closed the door and the officer could approach the man, the report said. As soon as he got to the driver, later identified as a 66-year-old Mequon man, the officer noticed the smell of alcohol.

The man would begin sentences, then have long pauses before completing them. He also had glassy and bloodshot eyes, as well as “nearly incoherent speech” according to the report.

The officer asked the man to get out of the vehicle and he put his seatbelt back on, so the officer reached into the car, shut off the vehicle and took the keys.

When the man finally did get out of the truck, officers noticed his pants were soaking wet and his zipper was down. He refused to complete any field sobriety tests and officers had to ask him three times before he would turn around so they could arrest him.

While placing the man into the squad car, the report said he gripped the side of the door, keeping officers from seating him in the car. A small struggle and a few minutes later, he was in and on his way to the Bayside Police Department

He was cited for operating while under the influence; he refused to complete the blood alcohol content test with the Intoximeter and also refused to be fingerprinted. He was then issued a citation for obstructing.