Crime & Safety

Man Pleads Guilty in Hit-and-Run Accident That Killed Service Dog

Carlos M. Ward, of Milwaukee, will be sentenced in Waukesha County Circuit Court on March 22.

A man who killed a service dog during a hit-and-run car accident, injuring the dog’s owner, will be sentenced March 22.

Carlos M. Ward, 30, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run causing injury Wednesday.

At 9:45 p.m. June 8, Debbie Schultz and her dog, Lexi, were crossing North Barstow Street near West Broadway when they were hit by a cream-colored Jeep Cherokee while the vehicle was turning from Broadway onto Barstow. The Jeep continued driving without stopped and eventually turned eastbound onto East Main Street.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On June 14, Waukesha police officers were at an unrelated call in the 400 block of East Main when one of the officers noticed the Jeep and realized it matched the description of the vehicle involved in the hit and run. The officers pulled the Jeep over for license plate sticker violations and Ward was driving.

Ward told officers he lives in Milwaukee and worked at People’s Park. When asked if he had been working the night of the accident he said he had and had left work around 10 p.m. Officers noticed damage to the front of the Jeep, which Ward said was from a 2011 incident.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

However, officers found what appeared to be dog fur in some of the damage. Ward admitted to being involved in the accident, saying he took a different route home because Main Street was closed for Freeman Friday Night Live. He didn’t see the victim until it was too late because it was dark. He said he never saw a dog and didn’t stop because he didn’t think he hit the victim too hard. Ward then said he’s a very religious man and was very remorseful about the accident, saying he had been concerned about the welfare of the woman days after the accident.

Schultz broke her foot and Lexi died from injuries sustained in the accident. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Waukesha