Danielle Butler
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Danielle Butler on Sept. 3 to six years in prison plus an additional six years of extended supervision in connection with a miles-long, high-speed police chase that ended in a crash after allegedly stealing baby formula from a Walgreens in March.
Butler pleaded guilty in July to three of six charges against her – including operator flee/elude officer and neglecting a child. Three other charges against her were dismissed – including retail theft, first-degree recklessly endangering safety and bail jumping.
Case details
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Greenfield police were dispatched to the Walgreens at 27th and Layton on Monday, March 3 for a retail theft complaint. Before police arrived on the scene, they were made aware the suspect was driving a Chevy Malibu with a plate in the rear window and had taken off eastbound on W. Layton Avenue.
Officers attempted a traffic stop on S. 27th Street just a few blocks from the Walgreens. The Malibu pulled over -- but when an officer approached the vehicle, the driver fled at a high rate of speed. A police chase ensued on westbound I-894.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
The complaint indicates speeds during the police chase exceeded 110 miles an hour. The driver was noted as swerving in and out of vehicles -- "even through narrow lanes in construction zones. At one point, the Malibu attempted to weave in between two vehicles -- and struck an Amazon truck, which caused the Malibu to spin out and hit a concrete wall before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the freeway. The entire length of the pursuit was 3.6 miles.
Eventually, the defendant exited the vehicle and came back to officers. During this time, one child exited the vehicle -- and a second was removed by officers. The defendant later admitted in an interview with investigators that "neither of her children have car seats in the vehicle," the complaint says.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Watch entire police chase
This browser does not support the Video element.
Greenfield police chase, crash
Dashcam video shows a Greenfield police chase that ended up on westbound I-894 and later a crash at Forest Home Avenue.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.