Driver in crash that killed officer bound over for trial
Bail kept at $500,000 in packed courtroom
A 28-year-old man charged with leading police on a chase that killed a Milwaukee police officer was bound over for trial Friday.
Ladell Harrison was arrested hours after the crash that killed 23-year-old Officer Charles Irvine Jr. on June 7.
Harrison appeared in front of a packed courtroom with his attorney, Jonathan Smith, who waived the hearing and entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to 12 charges.
Deputies marked two rows on each side of the room for the Irvine and Harrison families.
Both were full. Other officers, including the Milwaukee Police Association President Michael Crivello, sat behind Irvine’s family.
Court Commissioner Grace Flynn accepted the hearing waiver and kept bail at $500,000.
After the hearing, Officer Matthew Schulze, who was driving the squad car and was injured in the crash, hugged Irvine’s family.
The chase and crash
Harrison faces a slew of charges including five drug counts, fleeing an officer causing death and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
“I think everyone understands the magnitude of the circumstances and the unfortunate tragedy that occurred and so I don’t think that’s lost anyone,” Smith, his attorney, told reporters.
“Emotions can run high as to both sides of the equation on this matter,” he said. “I get that and quite frankly, we’re
not going to do anything to try to exacerbate that situation. This process is going to play out in court.”
According to the criminal complaint, the pursuit began when Schulze and Irvine noticed a black Volkswagen Passat driven by Harrison abruptly switch lanes.
The officers tried to pull the car over. Harrison, who had his 5-year-old son in the car, fled on West Silver Spring Drive and reached speeds greater than 96 mph, the complaint says.
The squad car behind him lost control at North 76th Street and rolled — one witness said it flipped 20 times — before landing on its roof.
The charging documents revealed Harrison also had been the subject of a long-term drug investigation.
In court Friday, Assistant District Attorney Grant Huebner turned over discovery materials, including 46 CDs of evidence.
Harrison’s next court date is July 16
before Judge Carolina Stark.
Earlier court cases
Some public officials had earlier criticized Flynn and another court commissioner for allowing Harrison to remain out of custody on a pending traffic case.
Last year, Harrison was charged with operating while revoked, a misdemeanor.
In that incident, he was driving a 2007 Jaguar with a counterfeit temporary registration plate in Wauwatosa.
At the time of the crash that killed Irvine, Harrison was free on a signature bond after having missed two court appearances in that case, resulting in warrants being issued for his arrest.
On May 30, Harrison appeared in court and the warrant was withdrawn. Court Commissioner Barry Phillips issued a signature bond with a higher monetary penalty if he failed to appear — $500 — than his previous bail conditions.
A signature bond allows someone to be released from custody after signing a form promising to appear for future court dates and follow court orders. It’s not uncommon for them to be issued in traffic cases.
“It’s very, very typical,” said Craig Mastantuono, a Milwaukee-area criminal defense attorney and adjunct faculty member at Marquette University Law School.
He has not represented Harrison in any cases.
Such traffic offenses are the “lowest level” in terms of violence or risk to the public and typically don’t result in jail time, he said.
“I know there will be a hue and cry to look at whether we should be incarcerating people pending the case,” Mastantuono said.
“But that would be not a good public response in terms of monetary and human resources, despite the terrible and tragic circumstances of this case.”
“The blame lies squarely with Mr. Harrison if the government fulfills its burden of proof,” he said.
Earlier this week, Chief Judge Maxine White declined to be interviewed to discuss general bail practices in traffic cases, citing the ongoing criminal case against Harrison.