Woman Faces 2nd OWI After Car Crash

A 26-year-old Town of Waukesha woman is facing charges after she hit a SUV getting off I-794 in downtown Milwaukee when she went the wrong way onto the expressway while driving drunk, according to a criminal complaint.

Laura E. Lichter was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Monday with one count of second-degree reckless endangerment of safety, one count of second-offense operating while intoxicated and one count of operating a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration. If convicted, she could face up to 10½ years in prison and $26,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Dec. 1, the victim was travelling eastbound on I-794 and exited at James Lovell off ramp when Lichter slammed into him with her Chevrolet Cobalt. He said her car hit him on the blind spot on the off-ramp and he honked the horn as he saw headlights coming at him.

Lichter told police she drank two rum and Coke drinks before driving, however, she had a blood alcohol level of 0.247 percent at the time of the incident, which is three times the legal limit to drive in Wisconsin.

Lichter free on $500 cash bond while awaiting trial. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.