FRASER, Mich. – The plow driver who ran over and killed an elderly woman outside a Fraser strip mall has been charged.
It is alleged that on Tuesday (Jan. 16), 45-year-old Jason Waelchli from Warren was driving a snow plow intoxicated in a parking near 15 Mile Road in Fraser and ran over the elderly woman who was walking to her car.
The woman died from her injuries.
Waelchli is charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (15-year felony), operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended causing death (15-year felony), operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated third offense (one to a five-year felony), operating a motor vehicle with license suspended second offense (one-year misdemeanor). Waelchli is also being charged as a habitual fourth offender.
The 45-year-old was charged in 39th Fraser District Court, where bond was set at $25,000 cash/surety, 10%.
If he is released, he must wear a GPS steel cuss tether with alcohol monitoring. He must also receive a substance abuse assessment.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Wednesday (March 20) at 8:30 a.m., and a preliminary exam is scheduled for Wednesday (March 27) at 8:30 a.m.
“It is my duty to uphold justice, and in this case, a man’s repeated choice to allegedly drive under the influence has shattered the life of an innocent elderly woman,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “The tragedy deepens with each offense, underscoring the urgent need for accountability to protect our communities from such reckless disregard for human life.”
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