WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Drunk driver almost hits Fire Chief and officer at Sparta fire scene
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SPARTA, Wisconsin (WXOW) - Two seperate incidents at the scene of a Sparta house fire Monday night lead to a drunk driving arrest and a damaged police car.
In the first incident, officers arrested Richard Schmitz, 49, of Norwalk, for drunk driving. As firefighters fought the blaze at 319 W. Wisconsin St., Schmitz drove his pickup truck past officers and over several fire hoses. As he drove through the fire scene, Schmitz almost hit Fire Chief Scott Lindemann and a Sparta Police officer. He was later stopped and arrested.
At around the same time, a car driven by a 70-year-old Sparta woman hit a Sparta Police car. The car had its emergency lights on and was blocking traffic on Wisconsin St. at the time. No one was injured according to Sparta Police Chief Michael Kass. The police car had to be towed from the scene. The Monroe County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident.
