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(Kenosha County Sheriff)
Pleasant Prairie, Wis. – A Kenosha man, 49‐year-old Rashan H. Romaine, has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies following a head-on collision on Sheridan Road on February 21, 2025. Romaine now faces charges including Operating While Intoxicated (5th), Hit and Run (Injury), Operating a Vehicle While Revoked, Resisting an Officer Causing Soft Tissue Injury, and Possession of Drugs, with prosecutors warning that a conviction could result in over a decade behind bars.
Incident Details
According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred at approximately 6:17 p.m. in the 11500 block of Sheridan Road, where police were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision involving a Toyota Camry and a GMC Sierra. Upon arrival, officers found both lanes of the road blocked by the heavily damaged vehicles. A female driver, later identified on record as “Emily J. Porter,” was discovered seated outside her car, visibly upset and complaining of head pain. She was quickly transported by Pleasant Prairie Fire Rescue for evaluation at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital.
Investigators allege that while Porter was emerging from her vehicle after dinner, the two vehicles collided head-on. Bystanders noted that a male driver fled from his truck immediately after the incident, leaving little evidence behind until further investigation by local law enforcement.
Arrest and Confrontation
Officers soon located Romaine, identified as the driver of the GMC Sierra, while he was attempting to flee the scene. During the arrest, Romaine allegedly resisted law enforcement. One officer sustained a thumb injury while attempting to secure him—a wound serious enough to require follow-up treatment by an orthopedic specialist.
Witnesses and officers on the scene described a chaotic atmosphere, with one reporting a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from Romaine as he blamed the crash on another driver swerving into his lane. In the midst of the arrest, officers recovered a 200ml bottle of Hennessey from the vehicle, as well as a package containing approximately 14.7 grams of a green leafy substance later identified as THC. Additional evidence later revealed that Romaine’s Wisconsin driving privileges had been revoked on July 13, 2023, following a previous OWI conviction.
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(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
A Controversial Past
The case has drawn further public attention due to separate allegations from a woman, who—choosing to remain anonymous and identified in this report as “Jane Doe”—claims to have been a victim of sexual assault by Romaine in an earlier incident. “I’m sleeping better knowing he’s finally behind bars,” she told KCE. The sexual assault charge, however, was dropped last year by former ADA Alexandra Smathers (D) without public explanation, a decision that has sparked controversy and concern among community members and advocates alike.
Court Proceedings
Romaine’s cash bail was set at $10,000 by Kenosha County Circuit Court Commissioner William Michel II. As the investigation continues, legal experts note that the combination of new charges and his extensive prior record—including multiple instances of license revocation and convictions dating back to 2002—could result in a lengthy prison sentence if he is ultimately convicted.
5 Responses
I’ll bet at court he will say he was turning his life around, needs another chance.
Lock him up and throw away the key
Shame on Smathers! She allowed a sicko to roam free and now he’s hurt even more people. How does she even sleep at night?
Former Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Smathers (D) who had the final say in hiring her for court Commissioner?
Scum
10 k!???????