'Troubled' Man Arrested on Morning Drive Into Tosa for More Liquor

A Milwaukee man who drove to a Wauwatosa drug store during the morning rush hour for more liquor after downing nearly half a gallon of vodka overnight was arrested for drunken driving and sent to the hospital on an emergency medical detention order.

At 8:16 a.m. Tuesday, an employee of the store at 2656 Wauwatosa Avenue called to report an intoxicated driver, and he provided a license number. He said that the man seemed "troubled" in the store. He followed the man outside and told police that that he seemed to be having problems operating his vehicle's controls.

Police tracked down a 54-year-old Milwaukee man living in the 2800 block of North 70th Street. He was inside his home by then and came to the door, police reports said, “unsteady on his feet, sweating profusely and was covered in his own feces.”

He said he had finished a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka overnight and admitted he had driven to the Walgreen’s to buy more.

Because of the man’s condition, he was taken to the hospital, and a mandatory blood sample was ordered.

A police officer interviewed a neighbor from across the street who had also witnessed the man driving. He told officers that the man lived alone and owned a friendly dog.

The officer went to check on the dog, which greeted him at the door, but he said he could not enter the place because of the “horrendous” odor. He took a quick look inside and said the hallway was littered with beer cans.

The dog was given fresh water and drank for 10 minutes straight. It was then turned over to Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control.