UPDATED: Campaign Strategist for 98th District Candidate Arrested for 2nd OWI
Rachel Pecor, strategist for Jeanne Tarantino, was arrested in Pewaukee, whose police chief, Ed Baumann, is one of Tarantino's opponents.
This story was updated at 3:14 p.m. with comments from Jeanne Tarantino's campaign.
Rachel Pecor, former campaign strategist for 98th State Assembly candidate Jeanne Tarantino, was arrested for her second OWI on Tuesday in the Village of Pewaukee as she was on her way to pick up Tarantino's daughter from dance class.
Pecor was pulled over at Main Street and Prospect Avenue after she veered into the wrong lane while crossing the center line, according to a police report. She failed a field sobriety test and a breath test, registering a .20 blood-alcohol level, more than twice the legal limit.
Tarantino has since removed Pecor from her campaign with just three full days remaining until election day. Tarantino confirmed Pecor's status with the campaign in a statement released Friday afternoon.
“This is a matter involving a campaign volunteer that is best-handled by local authorities, it would be inappropriate for the campaign to comment further on a pending legal matter," Tarantino said in her statement. "Driving under the influence is a serious and potentially dangerous offense and I would never knowingly allow the safety of my children and neighbors to be put in jeopardy. Ms. Rachel Pecor will no longer be involved with my campaign although I extend my personal support as she seeks to get her private affairs in order.”
The police chief in the Village of Pewaukee, Ed Baumann, is one of three other candidates for the 98th District seat. The Pewaukee Police Department report was obtained Friday via an open records request. Baumann did not immediately respond to an email or phone call request for comment Friday. Pecor declined comment after being reached by phone Friday.
The report states that Pecor, 31, of Elkhorn, will be charged with operating while intoxicated-second offense. The charge will be referred to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s office. However, charges do not yet show in an online court records search.
Pecor told police that her candidate was running for state assembly and asked not to let the arrest become a campaign issue, according dash cam video of the incident first shown on Today’s TMJ4 Thursday night.
Pecor will be in court on Feb. 19 — the same day as the primary election. According to reports, she was later released into Tarantino’s custody after a blood draw at Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
“I am just trying to — this is going to sound really weird — my candidate is running for the Assembly here and I am trying to pick up her daughter for dance class, and I can’t find it,” Pecor is heard saying in the dash cam video.
According to the police report, Pecor thought she was driving on a one-way street and didn’t want to be pulled over. She originally told police she hadn’t been drinking, but then admitted to drinking a glass of wine four hours earlier, the report states. She told the officer she wasn’t doing anything wrong, the report states.
Later, she told police she had two glasses of wine three hours earlier. Pecor told officers she didn’t know where three empty vodka bottles found in the car came from but said she must have picked them up for recycling during another election she participated in out of state.
Pecor told police the vehicle she was driving belonged to her fiancé, who she said is a federal agent.
Recently, Tarantino claimed she was discriminated against and transferred from her state job in the Lt. Governor office because of her age and gender.
Tarantino, a former chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, said this while being questioned in December as part of legal dispute with her ex-husband. The divorce file has since been sealed by a Waukesha County Circuit Judge.
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Mr Lundt
12:47 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Jeanne Tarantino= Train wreck
Horrible judgement at BEST.
Waukytalk
12:50 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Who cares about this?
The real issue is Adam Baumann-Neylon being cited for disorderly contact and obstruction while being affiliated with the Carroll University Beta Pi Epsilon Fraternity.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/29216849.html
That same frat has lost it's status with Carroll University due to a history disruptive behavior. Is Adam Baumann-Neylon and Adam Neylon the same person that is running for State Assembly?
Mr Lundt
1:02 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Waukytalk
It means your candidate is going down in flames and your attempt to throw up shiny objects won't work.
Waukytalk
1:17 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
She ain't my candidate. Don't live in that district.
That frat has had problems for years, obviously back to at least 2006 when the article was written. Don't know if this Adam guy was part of it or not.
The owner of the frat property is suing the city of Waukesha.
Mr Lundt
1:26 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
So you don't live there and are throwing around innuendo's about her opposition.
OK--stay classy
Waukytalk
1:40 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
The frat and problems are a big deal if you live near the college. If some guy that is running for office was part of this problem, I don't think he should be elected either.
Mr Lundt
1:47 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
More innuendo and unsubstantiated garbage. Even your own posts show you have no idea.
Meanwhile there are actual issues with a candidate you ignore.
N Schmidt
2:18 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Neither are worthy of being elected. Ain't it great that we have three other options who are neither wacko nor disorderly? (Although in Mr. Baumann-Neylon's defense, if you're gonna throw everyone with some past frat-house hijinks under the bus, well, there's gonna be some pretty good company under that bus.)
Mr Lundt
3:51 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
How old is Neylon?
If he is 22 it is relevent. If he's 35...forget it.
Carl Engelking
3:57 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Mr. Neylon is 28 years old.
Biff Ripone
7:45 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Wow, she blew a .20!! Now, that's DRUNK! Honestly, a .08 is barley even tipsy. you can get to that with 2 strong mixed drinks easily and I still wonder if its really worth it to arrest people at .08 instead of the old .10, but a .20 is drunk! How old is the daughter she was picking up? I'm guessing she must be young, like under 16 for sure, how did this woman think she could pick this little girl up and not have the girl notice? I especially like the part about the empty vodka bottles randomly rolling around on the floor! Now, that's CLASSY!!!
Atron
10:45 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
From what I can gather, she is more of a campaign " go-for" rather than a "strategist".
From what I've said before, Tarantino is just major damaged goods perhaps would be better aligned with the democrats who relish these types of activities and seem to prosper with them.
ed w
8:31 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013
after reading you guys going back and forth, it has made me want to stay away from both Jeanne and Adam. My guess is that you two are aligned with them and I do not want anything to do with either campaign now. It seems to me that the two non politicians Matt and Todd are the two to choose from. After talking to both of them, they focus on the positives of their own campaign and not this dirtball politics that Jeanne and Adam have gotten themselves into.
Mr Lundt
10:55 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013
For the record I have nothing to do with any political candidate or party
justwant2comment
2:51 pm on Saturday, February 16, 2013
For the record: It is ED Baumann who is running for the 98th Disitrict seat, NOT ADAM. Ed is 60 yrs old and is currently the Village of Pewaukee Police Chief. He has been with the Village Police Department since 1975 and has served as Chief since 1984. He is retiring in March. He also owns a security company according to JS Online. Adam Baumann-Neylon, who would be about 28 now, may or may not be Ed's KID, I haven't read anything that establishes that fact. I love how things get so messed up when people don't know what they are even talking about!
Atron
9:45 am on Sunday, February 17, 2013
IIRC, Ed Baumann's son is a Capt at the City of Waukesha PD now. ( The next Chief?....who knows )
ImConservative
2:04 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
out of ALL the choices people had, I cannot believe they would choose Adam Neylon. i thought waukesha was smarter than that!