A 68-year-old Greendale man is facing charges after he was caught allegedly driving drunk through Milwaukee Friday with a loaded gun in his car.
John P. Guckel was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Sunday with one count of fourth offense operating while intoxicated and one count of endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 21 months in prison and $12,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint:
A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy on patrol Friday spotted Guckel driving a Ford Taurus westbound in the 800 block of East Layton Avenue and noticed his car was partially in two lanes of traffic. The deputy followed Guckel’s car for three block and noticed it weaved between the two lanes without using a turn signal and then almost hit a parked car.
The deputy pulled the vehicle over and Guckel got out, but needed to brace himself on the side of the car. The deputy noticed Guckel smelled of alcohol and appeared to have urinated himself.
He told the deputy he drank before driving and said he had a loaded gun in the glove box. The deputy found a Sig Sauer P232 9mm handgun in the car with six rounds of fragmented ammunition inside.
Guckel failed a field sobriety test and was arrested and taken in for a blood test.
He was previously convicted of OWI in 1992, 1993 and 2004. Guckel is currently being held in Milwaukee County Jail on a $500 signature bond.
