The driver of a semi that rolled over on state Highway 29 Tuesday, closing the westbound lanes for nearly three hours, was charged Wednesday with being under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash.
Tyler A. Klein, 26, of Manitowoc, was charged with second-offense operating while intoxicated and a felony count of second or subsequent offense possession of marijuana.
Klein was operating a semi tractor/trailer that was hauling recycled building materials in a hydraulic dumpster. The truck was owned by Schultz Trucking Enterprises of Green Bay, according to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff’s Department received several calls just before 2 p.m. about a semi-truck that was “swerving all over the roadway,” according to the criminal complaint.
A sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle at Witt-Morr Town Line Road and saw the semi swerve violently onto the gravel and back onto the road again, the complaint states.
The deputy prepared to pull the vehicle over when it went into the gravel again, this time snapping the post of a road sign.
The driver lost control of the semi as it veered back into the traffic lane and rolled over, according to the complaint.
Klein was taken to Aspirus Hospital in Wausau, where he was medically cleared and then transported to Shawano County Jail.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities located a backpack in the truck that contained a tin foil pipe with burned plant material inside.
Klein could face a maximum 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the felony possession count if found guilty.
He could also face a maximum six months and $1,100 fine on the misdemeanor count of second-offense OWI. He also faces a misdemeanor count of possessing drug paraphernalia, which carries a maximum 30 days and $500 fine.
Klein was ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond.
He is due in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Monday for an adjourned initial appearance.
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