(Kenosha County Sheriff)
KENOSHA, Wis. – A Kenosha man with a prior felony record is facing a new charge after allegedly falling asleep at the wheel and then fleeing from police in a black SUV late last month.
Donta D. Buckles, 45, appeared in intake court Thursday afternoon, where Court Commissioner William Michel II ordered a $15,000 cash bail. Buckles is charged with one felony count of fleeing or eluding an officer as a repeat offender. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 12.
According to a criminal complaint, a Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy discovered Buckles asleep behind the wheel of a black Ford Explorer that was stopped in the middle of 17th Avenue around 9:25 p.m. on May 31. The vehicle’s reverse lights were on, and it was blocking part of the roadway.
Deputy Wipper reported that he knocked on the window and attempted to wake Buckles for several minutes, eventually enlisting the help of a Kenosha police officer. After about six minutes of unsuccessful efforts—including knocking, shaking the vehicle, and activating a police siren—Buckles finally woke up. But when instructed to put the vehicle in park and step out, he instead shifted into drive and fled the scene.
The deputy gave chase but quickly lost sight of the SUV as it turned onto nearby streets. Later investigation revealed that Buckles lived at the address he had pointed to during the stop— in the 1500 block of 17th Avenue—where both the Ford and a second vehicle were registered to him and a woman identified as Sara Schroeder.
When police returned to the home, another man was found asleep in a different vehicle in the driveway. That man, Javell Mayfield, told deputies he and Buckles were supposed to drop the SUV off in Racine to have its windows tinted, and that Buckles was driving.
Both Schroeder and Mayfield confirmed that Buckles had been driving the SUV that night. Buckles later denied the incident in a phone call with Deputy Wipper, stating, “It wasn’t me.” He was arrested on June 3 after deputies spotted the SUV again and located him at his home.
Because Buckles was previously convicted of a felony drug offense in Racine County in 2019 and is still on extended supervision, he is considered a repeat offender. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison—six for the base offense and an additional four for the repeater enhancement.
As a result of the charge, Buckles also faces a mandatory six-month driver’s license revocation.
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2 Responses
It was just a bad dream.
Does this mean he will have to turn in his MENSA card ?