Reckless driving call finds drugs, 10-year-old child passenger in vehicle

RACINE COUNTY — A call reporting reckless driving in the Town of Norway on March 12 led to the arrest of a 39-year-old Racine man for two criminal charges.

Steven M. Grant is charged with misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated with a minor child in the vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia, which carry a total combined maximum fine of $1,600 and seven months in jail.

The criminal complaint: reckless driving

A caller who witnessed the reckless driving advised police that a red extended pickup was crossing the centerline on Highway 20 as it came from Walworth County into Racine County. The officer observed the vehicle driving near Highway 20 and Rivermoor Road without any registration and a traffic stop was initiated.

Inside the vehicle was a 10-year-old child.

While he spoke with the defendant, the officer noted that Grant “rambled and made odd noises during conversation.” Grant’s hands were shaking, his voice cracked, and his eyes were pink and bloodshot, according to the complaint.

Police also located a screwdriver and a lighter inside the defendant’s pocket. A police K-9 unit arrived, and the dog alerted on the vehicle, which led to a search. Within the center console, police found two bulb pipes, which the officer recognized as commonly used to ingest cocaine or methamphetamine.

In a hole in the dashboard, police found a bottle cap that contained a black liquid residue. After Grant completed field sobriety tests, a preliminary breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.00, but a legal blood draw was performed as well. Results of that test were not included in the complaint.

Another officer examined the defendant, “who opined that (he) was impaired by a controlled substance,” the complaint states.

Grant, who is free on a $1,000 signature bond, is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on June 19, for an 8:30 a.m. status conference.