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Bicyclist Injured After Collision With Repeat Drunken Driver, Police Say

Ryan J. Powell, of Waukesha, is charged in an accident that left Gary Grauel injure in Pewaukee.

A Waukesha man is accused of injuring a bicyclist he hit while driving drunk in Pewaukee on Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint.

Ryan J. Powell, 36, was charged with operating while intoxicated-second offense causing an injury. He faces up to three years in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted.

Pewaukee police officers who responded to Main Street and Highway JJ found the bicyclist laying in a large pool of blood.

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The bicyclist, Gary Grauel, had a concussion and didn’t remember much about the accident, according to the criminal complaint. Grauel also received six staples to his head and abrasions on right knee, right cheek and right elbow, the complaint states.

A woman who was attending to Grauel at the scene told police to speak with Powell, who was standing nearby. Powell denied being in the accident, according to a criminal complaint, but a second witness told police he hit the bicyclist, drove 300 feet and then stopped his vehicle. The witness saw the bicycle go flying between 5 and 10 feet and then saw the man laying on the side of the road.

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Powell’s vehicle had damage consistent with hitting the man, the complaint states. However, Powell told Pewaukee police he didn’t remember hearing or feeling his vehicle hit anything.

Powell admitted to consuming four Jack and Coke drinks before the accident, saying he was traveling from Western Lakes Golf Course to Carly’s Bar. He failed his field sobriety tests and had a preliminary breath showing a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent.

Powell was previously convicted of drunken driving in 2005.

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