A West Allis man faces second-degree reckless homicide charges after a crash that claimed the life of a father in Milwaukee. 21-year-old Drake Wallis, whose past includes a high-speed chase with law enforcement, now confronts the serious repercussions of his recent actions. During this month's collision at the intersection of 76th and Morgan, which led to the death of a 29-year-old father, D'Monte Owens, Wallis was driving with a suspended license—a fact he was fully aware of, FOX6 News reports.
Charged with knowing his privileges to operate a motor vehicle were revoked, yet doing so anyway and causing a death, Wallis might be looking at a prison sentence extending over three decades and fines exceeding $110,000. Charged with the grave responsibility of another’s life taken too soon, the posted speed limit where the crash happened was 35 mph, but the wreckage and vehicle data spoke a different truth—Wallis was driving around 62 mph, with not even an attempt to brake before the moment of impact, revealed by WISN.
Data retrieved from the vehicle's black box and a witness's dash camera concurred on the harrowing details of the crash. Smelling freshly burned marijuana in the car and his subsequent admissions of having smoked earlier that day further complicate Wallis' defense. As the investigation deepens, additional charges hang in the balance pending the results of his blood test, according to FOX6 News.
D'Monte Owens' premature departure from this world hardly days before his 30th birthday leaves behind a grieving widow and daughter, according to statements made by Mikayla Owens to FOX6 News. "He took the best thing from me and my daughter. She's going to grow up without a dad," Mikayla said, deeply shaken by a reality made all the more bitter by chance and carelessness.
In court, Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Barry Phillips addressed the gravity and preventability of the tragedy, pointing a solemn finger at the choices made by Wallis. "This would have never happened if you wasn't driving in the first place and you weren't supposed to be," Phillips said, as reported by CBS 58. Wallis is held on a $30,000 bond, with a future court appearance on the horizon.
While the community grapples with the aftermath, a Meal Train has been organized to offer support to the family left in the wake of this tragedy. This gesture stands as a small but poignant reminder that amidst the weight of loss, the humanity of a community is often found in its collective response to help one another endure.
