Falls Man Charged with 5th OWI After Arriving Drunk to Get Son at Tosa School

A 38-year-old Menomonee Falls man has been charged with his fifth drunken driving offense after he was arrested Tuesday at a Wauwatosa elementary school, where he had showed up to pick up his son while obviously intoxicated.

The man was formally charged Thursday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office. Patch is not naming the defendant to protect the identity of his minor child.

According to police reports:

Police were called about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to , 9925 W. Glendale Ave., on a report of a highly intoxicated parent who had arrived to pick up his son. A crossing guard had seen the man drive up in his truck, park it at an odd angle in a no-parking zone, get out, and then stagger and stumble across the street and school grounds.

A kindergarten teacher who recognized him then saw him stagger up next to the west doors to the school and “plaster” himself against the wall. She said she knew him as the father of a child who had previously been her student, and she said he appeared disheveled.

School staff called police to ensure the safety of the suspect’s son and persuaded the father to wait at the school. Police found him sitting in a conference room, reeking of alcohol and slurring his speech. A background check revealed a revoked driver’s license and four prior drunken driving convictions in 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2009.

When asked how he got to the school, he said, “I drove here to pick up my son.” Asked whether he knew his license was revoked, he said, “Well, yeah, but I gotta pick up my son.” Asked whether he thought he should be driving in his condition, he said, “Well, what are you gonna do?”

He failed a field sobriety test, was arrested and taken to for a blood draw.

The boy's mother, who lives separately in Milwaukee, was called to the school to pick up the boy.