Cycle crash next to cop nets driver OWI charge

A 33-year-old man who lost control of his motorcycle and skidded past a police officer in Saukville last month has been charged with one felony count of fourth-offense drunken driving in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

Jeremiah D. Koepke also faces misdemeanor charges of driving after his license was revoked and failing to comply with a court order to have an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle.

According to a criminal complaint, a police officer was patrolling the area of East Green Bay Avenue and Market Street when he saw a Harley-Davidson motorcycle slide past him on the ground at 10:33 p.m. Friday, June 12.

Koepke, the driver, and the motorcycle were lying in traffic, but Koepke told the officer he was fine.

The officer, however, noticed Koepke smelled of alcohol. Koepke said he was coming from a Town of Port Washington bar, where he had two beers, the complaint states.

Field sobriety tests indicated Koepke was intoxicated and a preliminary breath test showed he had an alcohol level of .138. He was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton so a sample of his blood could be drawn, according to the complaint.

Although the threshold for driving while intoxicated is a blood alcohol level of .08, Koepke is prohibited from driving with a level of more than .02 because of his prior convictions.

Koepke pleaded guilty to third-offense operating while intoxicated — a misdemeanor — on Jan. 31, 2025, in Washington County. He was sentenced to five months in jail, his driver’s license was revoked for 27 months and he was ordered to have an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle for the same amount of time.

There was no such device on his motorcycle at the time of the crash.

During a June 15 hearing, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Adam Gerol set bail for Koepke at $2,500 and ordered him to wear an alcohol monitoring device if released from jail. Court records indicate he posted bail the following day.

Fourth-offense operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant is punishable by a maximum three years in prison and three years of extended supervision.