WASHINGTON COUNTY (NBC 26) — A man is accused of blocking a deputy who was trying to pull over his impaired stepdaughter, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
The incident happened in the early morning hours of New Year's Eve. The sheriff's office said a deputy on routine patrol saw two vehicles traveling unusually close together on Interstate 41 southbound at Highway 33.
The sheriff's office said the deputy noticed the lead vehicle was swerving, driving half on and off the shoulder, and not maintaining consistent speeds. The second vehicle was following close behind, only traveling 1 to 1.5 car lengths behind the lead driver, the sheriff's office said.
As the deputy tried to pull the lead vehicle over, authorities said the following driver would not allow the deputy to pull into the lane of traffic to make the traffic stop.
Eventually, the sheriff's office said the lead driver stopped, but the following driver still would not allow the deputy behind the first vehicle.
The deputy made contact with the following driver and identified him as a 36-year-old Menomonee Falls man, and the stepfather of the driver of the lead vehicle.
According to the sheriff's office, the man indicated his stepdaughter was arrested for drunk driving in Fond du Lac earlier, and he took her back to her vehicle so she could drive home. The stepfather also indicted he was following her closely because he was worried about her crashing.
The sheriff's office said the man acknowledged intentionally blocking the deputy so she would not get arrested a second time.
The driver of the lead vehicle, a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman, failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for a first offense OWI (with one pending).
The sheriff's office said both people involved are facing charges.
