Man pleads guilty in Saukville chase case

A 47-year-old Milwaukee man accused of leading an officer on a high-speed chase on I-43 and through downtown  Saukville at more than 70 mph in March pleaded guilty Tuesday in Ozaukee County Circuit Court to two felonies.

The pleas of William L. Tyler, who was arrested after driving his pickup truck through a Saukville yard and coming to a stop on the sidewalk outside Immaculate Conception Church, were accepted during an Aug. 4 hearing by Judge Steve Cain, who found him guilty of fleeing an officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Assistant District Attorney Antonella Aleman-Zientek recommended Tyler be sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision. Cain ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled Tyler’s sentencing for Sept. 23.

Two other felony charges — second-degree recklessly endangering safety and threatening to cause bodily harm to an officer — were dismissed as part of a plea agreement but read into the record, which means Cain can consider the facts surrounding those charges when he sentences Tyler.

The chase began Monday night, March 23, after a motorist called authorities to report that a pickup truck was swerving between lanes and traveling at erratic speeds as it headed north on I-43.

A woman told authorities that the pickup truck came up from behind her so quickly she thought it was going to hit her but at the last minute it swerved, then continued north, weaving across all three lanes of traffic and braking unexpectedly.

At around 9:40 p.m., Sgt. Andrew Anchor of the Grafton Police Department spotted the pickup truck weaving across I-43 and saw it nearly hit another vehicle just north of Highway 32.

When Anchor activated his emergency lights, the truck almost hit a semitruck, then abruptly came to a stop on the right shoulder. But after Anchor pulled over, the truck, which authorities later learned was being driven by Tyler, sped away, reaching a speed of 101 mph as it headed north on the freeway, according to a criminal complaint.

With Anchor pursuing him, Tyler exited I-43 in Saukville, failed to stop for a red light and headed west on Highway 33, traveling at 73 mph into downtown.

Tyler blew through another red light before veering off into a residential area and coming to a dead end on Church Street, where he turned around and drove over a sidewalk and through a yard, the complaint states.

He eventually drove onto the sidewalk outside the church, stopped and got out of his truck with his hands up.

Tyler refused to cooperate with officers who were trying to arrest him and was stunned with a Taser, according to the complaint.

Officers searched his truck and found a 9mm handgun on the driver’s side floorboard. The serial number of the gun had been scratched off, the complaint states.

Anchor said Tyler smelled of alcohol, his eyes were glassy and his speech was slurred. He attempted to administer field sobriety tests, but Tyler, who admitted to drinking one pint of beer, was argumentative and stopped cooperating, the complaint states.

Tyler was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, and after Anchor told him he had obtained a warrant for a sample of his blood, Tyler said, “You’re going to have a fight. I’m not giving any blood. You’re going to end up with bruises,” according to the complaint.

Additional officers were called to assist and the sample was taken.

Tyler has five felony convictions on his record, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and substantial battery, according to court records.

Tyler has been held in the Ozaukee County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail since his arrest.