Close call at crash scene

WAUPACA — Stacey L. Anderson, 41-year-old Abbotsford woman is facing multiple charges, including two felony counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, after authorities say she drove through a highway closure and nearly struck two deputies on U.S. Highway 10 in the Town of Weyauwega. According to a criminal complaint, she was also charged with operating a motor vehicle while revoked, a misdemeanor.
The incident began at approximately 1:35 a.m. on April 21, when Waupaca County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a severe head-on collision on Highway 10. Deputies Benjamin Bigelbach and Wayde Ernstmeyer were assigned to close the eastbound lanes and divert traffic onto County Trunk U.
The deputies had positioned two marked squad cars with emergency lights activated across the lanes and were wearing high-visibility vests. They had also placed reflective traffic cones in an angular pattern across the roadway.
At approximately 1:51 a.m., an emergency vehicle with its lights on passed through the closure to reach the crash scene. Deputies report that Anderson’s red 2005 Hyundai Elantra was “keeping pace” with the emergency vehicle, trailing it by only two to three car lengths.
The complaint states that despite deputies signaling with flashlights and shouting for her to stop, Anderson continued through the traffic cones at a high rate of speed.

Deputy Bigelbach reported that the vehicle passed within one to two feet of where he was standing. Deputy Ernstmeyer told investigators he believed the car was “potentially going to hit” him or Bigelbach.
When the vehicle eventually came to a stop past the cones, deputies observed Anderson with a “thousand-yard stare” and a blank expression.
She told deputies, “I don’t have a driver’s license,” and admitted it was revoked. A records check revealed Anderson’s driving privileges were revoked due to a prior conviction for operating while intoxicated in Waushara County. She was also found to be on active supervision with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, which authorized a probation hold following her arrest.