Police cleared of wrongdoing in death of Robert Maurina

WEST ALLIS (WITI) -- West Allis police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of 46-year-old Robert Maurina.

Maurina was arrested by West Allis police on November 28, 2012, when he came by car to the West Allis Police Department to pick up a woman who was arrested earlier on suspicion of drunk driving. Maurina had been a passenger in that woman's car -- but police took him home because they believed he was also impaired.

About an hour-and-a-half later, Maurina showed up at the police department. He admitted he had driven to the police station. Officers, who suspected Maurina was still impaired, administered field sobriety tests and found him to be impaired.

Maurina was taken to a hospital for a blood draw. But when hospital staff approached him, he apparently went from calm to combative, with flailing arms, kicking, etc. Officers tried to control Maurina -- and later fired a taser at Maurina. Hours later, Maurina was found dead in the basement of his home.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office indicates it could not draw a connection between the confrontation with West Allis police and Maurina's death.

The District Attorney John Chisholm says in a letter, "I find no evidence to contradict the conclusion of the medical examiner or to believe the officers acted in excess of their lawful authority while attempting to recover evidence of Maurina's intoxication.

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