Chief expects no discipline for Superior Wis. officer who ran over person laying in street
Newly released dashcam video shows moments when a Superior police officer ran over someone lying on the road, (Superior PD)
SUPERIOR, Wis. (FOX 9) - The case of a Superior, Wisconsin police officer running over a person lying in the street in February has been handed over to prosecutors.
Superior Police Department chief Nicholas Alexander released dash camera video of the incident and provided an update on the investigation Friday night.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice conducted the investigation because an officer with SPD was involved, and has now handed the case over to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office, who will decide if any charges should be filed against the officer.
Alexander wrote in a news release that the department is not anticipating any disciplinary action from the incident.
"I believe the final finding will be that this is a tragic and unfortunate accident and we continue to express our sincere well wishes to the victim of this incident," Alexander wrote.
The officer was investigating a vehicle prowler around 9:35 p.m. on Feb.19 when he unknowingly drove over a person lying in the road, the chief wrote.
Alexander said the officer noticed his squad "experience a bump" while driving down North 8th Street. He looked back in his side-view mirror and didn't see anything, assuming he had driven over a piece of snow or ice in the roadway.
A few minutes later, someone called 911 to report a person injured lying in the road. The officer returned to the scene and requested emergency medical response. He realized he had just driven down that road and "may have driven over the victim," Alexander wrote. He reported it to his supervising officer and asked the officer to review his squad car video for possible evidence.
The person was hospitalized after the incident but has since returned home and is recovering, the DOJ told Superior police. It's unknown why the person was lying in the road, the DOJ stated.
The officer was placed on administrative leave after the incident. He returned to work on March 12 after the investigation finished, Alexander said.