NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office has released dramatic dash cam and body cam video after an alleged drunken driver crashed into a parked sheriff’s vehicle.
60-year-old Harold K. Strozewski has been charged with fourth-offense operating while intoxicated, causing injury; not installing an ignition interlock device, and driving after his license was revoked. He was also ticketed for not following the “move-over law” and driving without insurance.
The sheriff’s office says the crash happened on Interstate 41 just after 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The sheriff’s deputy was parked along I-41 southbound as he investigated an earlier crash between Winneconne Avenue (Hwy. JJ) and Breezewood Lane. The emergency lights were on.
The crash pushed the sheriff’s vehicle into a car involved in the previous crash.
Investigators say Strozewski’s car then spun into traffic, where it hit another car.
The deputy suffered minor injuries and kept working.
The driver of the car involved in the earlier crash, a 19-year-old Greenville man, was not injured. The driver and passenger of the fourth car, both 18-year-old women from Neenah, suffered minor injuries.
Strozewski suffered minor injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Strozewski said he had one beer before going into work at 1 p.m. – more than nine hours before the crash. He later said he also drank during a break at work around 5 p.m.
He said he saw the squad’s lights but then was unclear about what happened.
“I may have slowed down more than I should have and the next thing I recall is hitting the squad car,” the complaint quotes his statement.
Due to prior offenses, Strozewski was supposed to have an ignition interlock device.
He failed a sobriety test, and a preliminary breath test — which isn’t admissible in court — revealed a blood alcohol level of .203.
That’s more than double the usual legal limit — and 10 times Strozewski’s legal limit of .02, due to the prior convictions.
Court records show his most recent drunken driving conviction, a third-offense misdemeanor case from 2011, resulted in his placement in a treatment program for repeat drunk drivers.
His driver’s license was revoked for two years at that time but did not have a valid license now, according to the complaint.
Strozewski’s other drunk driving convictions were for offenses in 1998 and 2004.
A $750 cash bond was set for Strozewski during an appearance Thursday in Winnebago County Court.
He returns to court August 6th for a preliminary hearing.
