Woman Charged With Driving Drunk With Kids in Truck

A 36-year-old South Milwaukee mother is facing charges after she with two children in her truck.

Michelle M. Zalar was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Thursday with one count of second-offense operating while intoxicated and one count of operating a motor vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration.

If convicted, she faces up to two years in county jail and $4,400 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On March 25, a woman called after she spotted Zalar driving a large truck near W. Rawson Ave. and nearly hit a curb while turning northbound onto 13th Street. The woman also noticed several children in the truck who appeared to not be buckled into their seats.

Police caught up to Zalar in the 6300 block of 13th Street and noticed she was straddling the double lane divider with her truck. When the officer activated his lights to pull the truck over, Zalar pulled over and parked haphazardly behind an apartment complex, nearly hitting a parked car.

She told police she had just picked up the children and had drunk alcohol within a half hour of driving. She failed field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of 0.24, three times the legal limit to drive in Wisconsin.

Zalar was convicted of her first OWI in December. She will make her initial appearance in court April 13.