Man charged with 3rd OWI, fleeing police facing 5 years in prison

RACINE — A 40-year-old Racine man could spend the next five years in prison after he allegedly drove drunk through West Racine and attempted to flee the officer who initiated the traffic stop.

Aaron Morris was charged Thurs., Feb. 23, in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of attempting to flee an officer and one misdemeanor count each of operating while intoxicated as a third offense and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and/or up to $22,000 in fines.

The criminal complaint: speeding, fleeing officer

According to the criminal complaint, officers at 2:15 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 22, spotted a vehicle traveling west on 15th Street at approximately 65 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone. The driver — later identified as Morris — passed Arthur Avenue, turned sharply up Cleveland Avenue, onto Wright Avenue, and then to West Lawn Avenue, running at least two stop signs in the process.

Police were just about to terminate the pursuit when Morris lost control of the car, jumped the curb, and traveled a short distance on the sidewalk before crashing into a parked car as the driver attempted to gain the road once again. According to the criminal complaint, Morris exited the vehicle and tried to flee on foot, only stopping when the pursuing officer threatened to deploy their taser.

When he was apprehended and asked how much he had to drink, Morris said, “not enough,” and that he was glad the arresting officer was white otherwise he might be dead. Morris refused to complete field sobriety tests after failing the first few, and he refused an evidentiary blood draw at the hospital, the complaint reads.

Morris was assigned a $3,000 cash bond and ordered not to possess or consume alcohol and to not drive at all. He will next be in court on March 1 for his preliminary hearing.