Wrong-Way Driver Stopped After 15 Miles on Freeway

A 69-year-old New Berlin man drove the wrong way on I-94 for nearly 15 miles Thursday night before Racine County sheriff's deputies pulled him over and arrested him for his third drunken driving offense.

Patrick Coffey was seen driving southbound in the northbound lanes of the freeway at National Avenue about 11 p.m., according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office news release. 

Coffey struck two median walls, including one just north of Ryan Road in Oak Creek, officials said.

When a Racine County deputy intercepted him near the county line, Coffey pulled over, crashed into the median wall and tried to back up and drive around the squad, according to the news release.

The deputy used his squad to pin Coffey's vehicle against the wall. 

Coffey, who told police he had been drinking at Irish Fest, had an intoximeter test result of .19, according to the news release. 

In addition to drunken driving, Coffey will be charged with recklessly endangering safety, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 12 1/2 years in prison, officials said.