Reckless driving in village brings drug charge

A Muskego man pulled over for driving recklessly by Racine County Sheriff’s Department deputies faces a felony charge of possession of narcotic drugs.

According to the criminal complaint filed July 15 in Racine County Circuit Court:

Deputies responded to the Shell gas station at Buena Park Road and Main Street in Waterford July 13 for a complaint of a reckless driver “all over the road.”

They observed a vehicle driven by Nicholas J. Schwabe, 19, pull away from the station’s pumps and drive south, drifting in and out of the traffic lane and onto the shoulder of the road.

The responding officer executed a traffic stop. He reported that Schwabe appeared lethargic with a “staring into space” look on his face and slurred speech.

An ink pen tube with a white substance residue inside was reportedly found on Schwabe’s person, leading the deputy to believe the tube was being used to snort a liquid or powdered substance.

A search of the vehicle reportedly found two prescription-strength Oxycodone painkiller pills, as well as a yellow rubber tube about 12 inches long – a device commonly used as a tourniquet by drug users.

A search of the purse of a passenger in the vehicle located a syringe filled with a substance that later tested positive for heroin, as well as other drug-related items.

The passenger, who has not been charged with any crime, reportedly stated that the substance inside the syringe was most likely heroin. She reportedly admitted to using heroin four days earlier.

Schwabe made an initial appearance in court July 15, when a $500 cash bond was set. As a condition of that bond, he was placed on GPS monitoring and ordered not to have any contact with the passenger who was in his vehicle at the time of his arrest, and ordered not to consume any controlled substances.

Schwabe is next scheduled in court July 24 for a preliminary hearing, when a judge can consider whether the case should advance to trial.