Woman Drove Drunk With 5-Year-Old Passenger: Report

MILWAUKEE, WI — A woman was arrested for drunk driving after authorities say she was driving with a suspended license, veering on the road, had a box of wine and bottle of vodka in the car and had a 5-year-old child as a passenger.

Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a possible drunk driver at about 11:30 p.m. who was reportedly driving all over the road heading east on I-94 at the county line.

Sheriff's officials say that a person who fas following the driver provided updates on location when the vehicle exited at I-43 and Highway 100 in the southbound lanes.

When deputies investigated, they learned that the woman's license plate was suspended, and deputies initiated a traffic stop.

Sheriff's officials said that the driver of the vehicle, Krystal Gehrke, 33, of Franksville, had a suspended driver’s license. A 5- year-old child was in a car seat in the back of the vehicle. Gehrke said she was coming from a friend’s house and had a glass of wine an hour before.

Deputies reported that Gehrke performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests, and tested a .19 on a preliminary breath test. According to court records, her prior convictions were in June 2007, November 2008 and April 2015. Deputies found one empty 500 ml box wine and three empty 15 ml vodka bottles inside the vehicle, according to a report released today.

Gehrke was arrested for her fourth operating while intoxicated offense - this time with a passenger Under 16 Years of Age. This offense is listed a Class H felony which carries up to 12 years in prison. She was also cited for Operating While Suspended, Operating with Suspended Registration Plates, and Unsafe Lane Deviation, according to reports.

Sheriff's officials said that the child was taken to the patrol substation to wait for Child Protective Services from Racine County.

In a prepared statement, Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt said, “This woman was dramatically drunk, driving without a valid license, and endangering the young child in the car. This is NOT okay! Thankfully, a
citizen called 911, and a deputy was able to stop the craziness before a tragic crash occurred. There is help available for addictions. People need to get that help, or risk going to jail. Enough!”

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