Prosecutor: Drunk snowplow driver who killed elderly woman, arraigned
Jason Waelchli
FOX 2 (WJBK) - A Warren man was arraigned Wednesday for fatally running down an elderly woman with a snow plow while intoxicated.
Police say Jason Waelchli hit the victim in a parking lot near 15 Mile Road in Fraser, as she was walking to her car on Jan. 16. She later died from her injuries.
Waelchli is charged with:
- Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (a 15-year felony)
- Operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended causing death (a 15-year felony)
- Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated third offense (one to five-year felony), and operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended second offense (a one-year misdemeanor).
- Waelchli is also being charged as a habitual fourth offender.
Waelchli was arraigned in court with a bond at $25,000 cash/surety, 10%. If released, he must wear a GPS steel cuff tether with alcohol monitoring.
He must also receive a substance abuse assessment.
"It is my duty to uphold justice, and in this case a man's repeated choice to allegedly drive under the influence has shattered the life of an innocent elderly woman. The tragedy deepens with each offense, underscoring the urgent need for accountability to protect our communities from such reckless disregard for human life," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.