Milwaukee Police Officer Charged in Highway Crash in Tosa

A Milwaukee police officer is facing charges after he crashed his pickup truck on Highway 45 in Wauwatosa while allegedly driving drunk with a gun – a gun he imprudently decided to handle during his arrest.

Randall J. Chicks, 45, was charged Tuesday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with one count of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon while under the use of an intoxicant. If convicted, he faces up to nine months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

At 1:47 a.m. Nov. 30, Chicks crashed his pickup into the wall on Hwy. 45 near West Burleigh Street in Wauwatosa and told a deputy he had been trying to use his cell phone when he hit the wall. However, the deputy smelled alcohol and Chicks then admitted to drinking at several bars earlier in the evening.

The deputy was taking pictures of the accident scene when she noticed a paramedic who was helping treating Chicks hand him a gun holster. She then ran to the truck where she found Chicks was field-stripping a handgun.

He told the deputy he was a Milwaukee police officer and was taking the gun apart for safety reasons. He told the deputy he had been keeping the gun by his foot while driving. She found two loaded magazines inside the truck.

Chicks had a blood alcohol level of 0.139 at the time of the incident.

He is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court Dec. 29. According to court records, Chicks was also cited for first-offense operating while intoxicated, inattentive driving, and unreasonable and imprudent speed.