A Caledonia man is facing felony charges after he crashed the car he was driving into a parked truck, which smashed into a home and lifted the bed where the homeowners slept, according to a criminal complaint by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office.
Anthony Guetzlaff, 21, of Caledonia, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office with three felony counts of second degree recklessly endangering safety, drunk driving, obstructing an officer and driving a vehicle with a revoked license.
If convicted on all charges, Guetzlaff faces up to 31 years, nine months in prison, and/or fined up to $78,950.
According to the criminal complaint, Caledonia Police responded to a hit and run crash where a car had crashed into a truck parked in the driveway at a home in the 7100 block of Lone Elm Drive on Thursday, April 16.
Residents inside the home were sleeping when Guetzlaff crashed into a truck parked in the driveway. The parked truck then smashed into the residence, which went into the bedroom. The truck caused the bed to lift off of the ground and into the air, according to the criminal complaint.
As the couple reported the crash to police, Guetzlaff and a passenger fled the scene on foot. Dispatch later received calls from people that had spoken to Guetzlaff who told them, “We crashed. We crashed. I’m sorry,” according to the criminal complaint.
Traffic investigators learned that Guetzlaff was driving eastbound on Sunrise Drive when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road, and into the yard and driveway where he crashed into a parked truck. Guetzlaff lives about a block away from the scene of the crash. After he went home, Racine County Sheriff’s Deputies and K-9 units found Guetzlaff and the owner of the vehicle — Aubrey Depledge — hiding face down in a grassy area next to Guetzlaff’s parents’ home.
Guetzlaff, who had been drinking and had a blood-alcohol level of .12, told police he was driving the car because Depledge was too drunk to drive the car home. Guetzlaff had his driver’s license revoked from a prior drunk driving conviction.
A cash bond of $1,000 was set at an initial hearing on Friday, April 17. A preliminary hearing has been set for 9 a.m. April 22.
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