Woman on probation, out on bail back in court

A 37-year-old woman who was on probation for a child neglect conviction and free in lieu of bail in a domestic abuse case was bound over for trial in Ozaukee County Circuit Court last week on charges she pretended to be her sister after being pulled over in Port Washington while driving drunk.

Newburg resident Allison L. Norris,  37, formerly of Grafton, is charged as a repeat offender with identity theft, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer,  second-offense driving under the influence, driving after her license had been revoked, failing to install an ignition interlock device and two counts of bail jumping.

According to a criminal complaint, Port Washington police officer Tyler Wroblewski was on patrol at 1 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, when he noticed a vehicle with an expired registration that was being driven oddly and pulled it over in the area of West Grand Avenue and Highway LL.

The driver of the vehicle, who was ultimately identified as Norris, identified herself using her sister’s name and told the officer she was going to the home of her sister, who she identified using her name — Allison Norris, the complaint states.

Wroblewski was suspicious and returned to his vehicle to check the Department of Transportation photo of the woman Norris claimed to be and immediately noticed it was not her. He then checked the photo of Norris and recognized her as the driver of the car.

The officer requested a Fast ID fingerprint scanner be brought to the scene to confirm Norris’ identity, and when Norris was told the scanner was on the way, she said, “You already know who I am,” according to the complaint.

Norris told Wroblewski she was driving oddly to avoid police, and when the officer asked her to step out of her vehicle he noticed she smelled of alcohol, the complaint states.

During field sobriety tests, Wroblewski noted, Norris was swaying and had body tremors and constricted pupils.

She told the officer that her drug of choice was heroin, although she has been clean for 11 years. Norris said she drank alcohol and took trazadone, an antidepressant, before driving, adding that mixing the drug with alcohol makes her tired, according to the complaint.

Norris had her license revoked and was ordered to have an ignition interlock device on her vehicle because of an earlier operating while intoxicated conviction. There was no such device on her car.

Wroblewski  spoke to Norris’ sister, who said Norris had used her name in the past and was upset to hear she was still doing it.

At the time of her arrest, Norris was free in lieu of bail in connection with a case dating to Nov. 12, when police were called to a Grafton home by Norris’ ex-boyfriend.

The man told police that while Norris no longer lived at the home her name was still on the lease and she had come to the house that night to retrieve her belongings.

But when Norris arrived, the man’s new girlfriend was there and Norris became aggressive toward them and refused to leave, according to the criminal complaint filed in that case.

A witness told officers that Norris was yelling profanities, throwing items and slamming cupboards. A video taken by the witness confirmed that account and showed Norris either pushing or slapping her ex-boyfriend in the neck in an attempt to get at his girlfriend, the complaint states.

A preliminary breath test showed Norris had an alcohol level of .156, according to the complaint.

Norris is charged as a repeat offender with disorderly conduct in that case.

In 2023, Norris was charged with neglecting a child after her 3-year-old son was found alone and appeared as if he was going to walk into traffic on Washington Street near St. Paul Cemetery in Grafton at 6 p.m. Aug. 28.

Two drivers stopped to check on the child and police were called.

Officer Patrick Brock, who responded to the scene, was aware of a similar incident in which the same child was found near traffic  in the area of First Avenue and Washington Street on July 31, 2023. The officer who handled that case noted that potential drug or alcohol use in the child’s home was a concern.

When Brock took the child home on Aug. 28, he was met by Norris, who had come outside to tell him her child was missing. Brock noted this was 15 to 20 minutes after the child was found near the cemetery.

Brock immediately noticed that Norris smelled of alcohol, her speech was thick and her eyes were red.

Norris told the officer that she had been in the basement and believed her child manipulated a lock on the door, went outside and wandered away. She said her 8-year-old child was supposed to be watching the 3-year-old.

Norris was upset by the presence of Brock at her house and said, “Here we go again,” referring to the July 31 incident, the complaint states.

When asked how much she had to drink, Norris said she poured herself a drink shortly before the officer arrived. A preliminary breath test showed she had an alcohol level of .11, according to the complaint.

Norris pleaded guilty to one felony count of neglecting a child in March. Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain withheld a prison sentence and placed her on probation for 30 months. As a condition of her probation, Cain ordered her not to possess or consume alcohol or drugs.