RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – An alleged drunken driver was arrested in southeast Wisconsin for his second OWI offense after nearly hitting one driver and minutes later colliding head-on with a truck stopped at an intersection.
According to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, at 12:08 a.m. on March 29, deputies were sent to the area of STH 36 and North River Road for a report of a wrong-way driver.
The driver who reported the incident stated that the car was heading north in the southbound lanes and almost hit them head-on.
Minutes later, at 12:14 a.m., dispatch got word of a two-vehicle crash at STH 36 and CTH K. After responding to the scene, deputies found that a truck that was stopped in the turn lane had been hit, head-on, by the previously reported vehicle.
An initial investigation showed the car, driven by 32-year-old Alejandro Ortiz of Elkhorn, was reportedly driving north in the southbound lanes of STH 36. At the intersection with CTH K, Ortiz allegedly swerved into the southbound turn lane, hitting the stopped truck head-on.
Neither the driver of the truck, a 23-year-old man from Oak Creek, nor Ortiz were injured as a result of the crash.
Deputies say that Ortiz failed Field Sobriety Tests and refused to provide a sample of his breath for a Preliminary Breath Test. Ortiz was arrested and taken to a local hospital for a legal blood draw.
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Ortiz was taken to the Racine County Jail for the following charges:
- Operating While Impaired (2nd offense)
- 2 counts of Recklessly Endangering Safety
- Wrong Way on a Divided Highway
- Reckless Driving
No additional information was provided.
