Crime & Safety

Wrong-Way Driver Goes Over Median; Charged with 3rd OWI

A 43-year-old Oak Creek woman has been charged with three offenses after an April 13 incident in which police say she drove the wrong way on Howell Avenue.

An Oak Creek woman whom police say drove the wrong way on Howell Avenue and crossed over the median to correct herself has been charged with her third drunken driving offense.

Mary Polachek, 43, was also charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety and operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration after the April 13 incident.

According to a criminal complaint:

Find out what's happening in Oak Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A witness called 911 just after 10:30 p.m. reporting a car driving northbound in the southbound lanes of S. Howell Avenue in the 7100 block.

Between 10 and 15 cars had to move out of the way to avoid Polachek, who then drove over the grassy median and into the northbound lanes.

Find out what's happening in Oak Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The witness kept following Polachek as she turned east on Rawson Avenue and continued to swerve and speed. After she turned south on Pennsylvania Avenue, an Oak Creek police officer saw her in the 8300 block and pulled her over.

The officer noted slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. She registered a .24 on a preliminary breath test and was arrested.

The three charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 12 years in jail and $29,000 in fines. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Polachek was previously convicted of OWI in 1992 and 2010.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.