Police Explain What Happened at United Methodist Church Monday

Multiple readers contacted Patch after noticing a vehicle being surrounded by police in the parking lot Monday afternoon around 1:30 p.m.

Because the church shares a parking lot with daycare, concerned parents were equally as curious about the incident after receiving an email from the daycare's childcare director. The email read:

At approximately 1:30pm yesterday afternoon, a vehicle stopped and parked in the parking lot that is shared by Sussex United Methodist Church and Noah's Ark. Several Waukesha Sheriff squad cars arrived with sirens indicating that they were investigating the single occupant in the vehicle. The sheriffs removed the suspect without further incident. What limited information we have learned is that the suspect was being sought in relation to activity that had recently occurred off our premises. The sheriffs were able to detain and take the subject into custody in a matter of a few minutes.

Although area police officials are still finishing up the official report, they shared some details of the story with Patch to calm the nerves of concerned parents and residents. The man in the vehicle wasn’t dangerous, but rather an elderly resident of Sussex Mills senior housing on Maple Avenue.

Lt. William Deering of the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department said police were called to the elderly home after the man began intimidating other residents, something he’s done in the past.

“Police were at the elderly home where a guy was causing problems with other residents,” Lt. Deering said. “He was served restraining orders when he was at a different elderly home in Milwaukee County, and again in Sussex, so this isn’t anything new. But when police told him to stop, he got in his car and drove off.”

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When police caught up with him, the man was parked in the church parking lot on Main Street. Sussex’s Lt. Torin Misko said local law enforcement didn’t know why the man sped off, so they had to treat the situation with caution, explaining why there were multiple vehicles surrounding an elderly driver.

The man eventually showed his hands to the officers and everything was taken under control. Nobody entered the church or the daycare, and the entire situation lasted a very short amount of time. The man was charged with four different village citations:

1. Obedience to Officer 
2. Squealing Tires 
3. Failure to Stop for Emergency 
4. Vehicle Reckless Driving

According to Misko, local police required the elderly man to take multiple driving evaluations with the Department of Motor Vehicles because his driving was less than adequate, so the elderly man “wasn’t too happy” with police. Misko said that could be the reason behind why the man simply drove off.