WAUKESHA COUNTY -- The Sussex Police Department Chief tells FOX6 News, Fire Captain Thomas Gerstner has resigned following his arrest for allegedly driving a fire engine while drunk.
47-year-old Gerstner of Sussex was arrested on Sunday, May 30th by the Wisconsin State Patrol for operating a motor vehicle under the influence -- his first offense.
Officials say around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, the State Patrol was requested by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department to investigate a minor traffic crash between a fire engine and a parked car.
The investigation determined Gerstner, the operator of the fire engine, was under the influence of an intoxicant at the time of the crash. Officials also say Gerstner was operating without a valid driver’s license — which had expired in February.
Gerstner was arrested and taken to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Sub-station — where he submitted to an intoxilizer test and was later released.
Gerstner has been a volunteer with the department for nineteen years.