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Milwaukee County deputy dragged, accused driver on probation
The 21-year-old accused driver of an SUV that dragged a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy was sentenced for a different crime months before the incident at the lakefront.
MILWAUKEE - The 21-year-old accused driver of an SUV that dragged a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy was sentenced for a different crime months before the incident at the lakefront.
In February, Dedric Vaughns was given two years of probation and told to stay out of trouble, but prosecutors said he was behind the wheel of a stolen SUV spotted by a deputy on Thursday, June 8.
Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy dragged during traffic stop
When the deputy opened the door of the SUV parked near Bradford Beach, the driver tried to back up and get away. The deputy got caught in the open door and dragged to the ground. The SUV hit the back of another car, and the driver took off. The deputy was hurt but expected to be OK.
"I’ll always remember the terror on her face as that was happening," said Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office Inspector Doug Holton.
Holton was there on the scene and ordered the 19-year-old Franklin Easley to the ground. Easley was a passenger in the car, and prosecutors said he had a loaded handgun on him without a permit.
Franklin Easley
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The car was gone but was found the next day about a mile and a half away in an alley near the UW-Milwaukee campus.
Law enforcement descended on the home near 28th and Center on Wednesday, June 14. Inside, they found Vaughns, along with a stolen handgun and magazines. That's something he wasn't supposed to have, thanks to a felony conviction after leading Milwaukee police on a chase in 2022.
At sentencing, his mother and the mother of his son asked the judge for leniency. For that, the judge gave Vaughns a stayed prison sentence and two years of probation.
While that case was pending, city records show he was pulled over for speeding and driving without a license. Vaughns was also convicted of child neglect in 2021.
The most recent charges are first-degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing/eluding an officer, causing bodily harm/property damage. He faces additional charges related to probation and traffic violations.
The co-defendant in the case bonded out the day he was arrested.
Vaughns is being held on $25,000 as well as a Department of Corrections hold. His attorney did not return FOX6's message.