A Winona, Minn., man faces two criminal charges after police say he climbed into an unlocked squad car in Eau Claire, Wis., and played with the buttons controlling the siren and emergency lights.
David J. Holien, 21, was charged Monday in Eau Claire County Court with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and bail jumping.
A $250 cash bail was set for Holien, who is to return to court on Sept. 28. As conditions of bail, Holien cannot drink alcohol or enter taverns.
According to the criminal complaint: An Eau Claire police officer said he and other officers were in the parking lot near 5th Avenue and Water Street at 1:15 a.m. Sunday dealing with an unrelated matter when they heard the yelp of a police siren.
The officer saw that the emergency lights of a marked squad car, which was parked in the median of the 400 block of Water Street, were activated briefly.
A short time later, multiple yelp and wail sounds came from the car, and the officer saw that the lights were activated — as if someone was inside the vehicle pressing buttons.
The officer walked over to the car and found Holien in the passenger seat, leaning over the center console.
The officer asked Holien what he was doing. Holien said he pulled the door handle and found the car unlocked, so he decided it was a good idea to get inside. The officer confirmed with other officers that the car mistakenly had been left unlocked.
Holien appeared to be intoxicated, and a breath test showed his blood alcohol content was 0.183 percent — more than twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin.
Officers discovered that Holien had an arrest warrant from Waukesha County, Wis., for failing to make his court appearances for a misdemeanor criminal case there.
