Police: Driver Crashes into Trailer Home, Cart Corral to Evade Officers
BARABOO, Wis. (CHANNEL 3000) -
A Baraboo man crashed into a cart corral and trailer home while he was trying to evade officers Monday, according to a release.
Baraboo police responded to a report of a man who was driving a truck while intoxicated and possibly armed with a gun and suicidal at 10:45 p.m.
The Baraboo Police Department police found the struck in the Walmart parking lot and attempted to check the welfare of the driver, 52-year-old James R. Seiler. A concerned friend told police Seiler was upset over his recent arrest and had made statements that he was going to crash his truck into a house.
When police attempted to check on Seiler in the parking lot, the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed and the truck crashed through a shopping cart retaining system, according to the report. The truck later entered the Honeyboy trailer park at a high rate of speed and crashed into a residential trailer. The trailer received major damage but the two occupants were not injured. The damaged truck left the trailer park, nearly colliding with other officers arriving on scene as it fled.
Police said the officers were forced to make evasive maneuvers to prevent the vehicle from striking them. The vehicle continued onto Highway 12 and entered a used car sales lot and collided with two vehicles. A Baraboo police supervisor terminated the police pursuit due to the danger the operator posed to the public and officers during the pursuit.
The vehicle was later found parked on Moore Street and again, when an officer attempted to make contact with the operator, the vehicle fled. Seiler then drove down the Baraboo River embankment behind the First Weber Realty building in West Baraboo and into the river. He fled the vehicle and police took him into custody. Police said Seiler was highly intoxicated. There were no passengers in the truck and no reported injuries.
Seiler was arrested on tentative charges of fifth-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, knowingly fleeing an officer and reckless endangerment.
Police said additional charges are possible.