Driver arrested in fatal crash has lengthy record
The man arrested after a fatal crash in Milwaukee had an 8-day-old baby in his car, three prior drunken-driving convictions and an open hit-and-run case.
And after the crash that killed a 64year-old man, Christopher J. Anderson refused to take an intoxication test, online court records show.
The fatal crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Monday on West State State just west of North 27th Street, police said. The man who died has not been publicly identified because authorities are still trying to notify his family of his death.
Milwaukee police did not name the driver but confirmed he was cited for failing to take an intoxication test and had a baby in the car at the time. Police officials said he would be referred to prosecutors Wednesday for criminal charges. The Journal Sentinel independently verified the driver’s identity through records and sources.
Anderson has a history of drunken driving dating back to 2006 in Iowa. He was convicted of second-offense drunken driving in Milwaukee in 2010 and was charged with his third offense while that second case was ongoing.
In the third offense, Wauwatosa police pulled Anderson over on July 24, 2010, on Blue Mound Road near North 63rd Street after seeing him swerve across the yellow line twice, according to a criminal complaint.
Anderson had vomit on his T-shirt and trouble stepping out of his car. Police took him to the station and asked him to perform a field sobriety test.
“You got me, I can’t even walk nine steps, you got me,” Anderson said, per the complaint, as he struggled to complete the test.
Anderson was taken to a medical center for a blood draw. The results showed his blood-alcohol at 0.33 — more than four times the level considered proof of intoxication.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months in jail. His license was revoked for three years and he was ordered to have an ignition lock for two years.
Last fall, Anderson was charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run after Waukesha police say he sideswiped a car turning left the same time he was.
Anderson initially pulled over but then drove off, but not before the other driver took a photo of his license plate, the complaint says.
Waukesha police used the photo to track down Anderson, who blamed the other driver. At the time, Anderson’s license was suspended and he did not have insurance, according to the complaint.
Anderson is scheduled for a jury trial next month in the case. He is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail.