By Shereen Siewert
A 44-year-old Rothschild man who allegedly fled the scene of a single-vehicle crash earlier this month is facing his sixth drunken driving charge, police say.
Aaron W. Trotzer was also cited for possessing open intoxicants in a vehicle, hit and run on property adjacent to a highway, and failure to notify police of an accident, according to court documents. Trotzer appeared Oct. 15 in Marathon County Circuit Court, where he was ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond.
Police were called at 10:25 p.m. Oct. 10 to a report of a yellow Volkswagen Bug that had crashed into the concrete barrier at the intersection of Weston Avenue and Birch Street in the village of Weston. Officers from Everest Metro and Rothschild responded to the crash and learned from a witness that the driver abandoned the crashed vehicle and was picked up by another driver before their arrival.
According to the incident report the vehicle was significantly damaged and the air bags had deployed. A stop light and village of Weston sign were also struck down in the crash and two concrete barriers were completely destroyed, as was a street sign at the intersection. Officers observed an open can of White Claw and discovered an open bottle of vodka in the glove box, the report states.
Police tracked Trotzer through Department of Transportation records. When they located him, he was being treated by Riverside emergency crews for crash-related injuries and was taken to a local hospital. When questioned, Trotzer allegedly told police he had consumed “a bottle” of vodka before driving. Because of his injuries, Trotzer was not subjected to field sobriety tests. He allegedly refused a chemical test of his blood, but police obtained a sample through a warrant.
Court records show Trotzer had past OWI convictions in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2010, and was convicted of operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration in June 2015. Trotzer is subject to a 0.02 percent alcohol restriction due to his prior convictions.
A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 18.
