Police: CF man drives recklessly with three young kids in vehicle
Feb. 7—EAU CLAIRE — A Chippewa Falls man reached speeds of up to 100 mph and drove recklessly with his wife and three young children in his van, police say.
Joseph M. Labrec, 37, 623 Market St., was charged this week in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and disorderly conduct and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
A $5,000 signature bond was set for Labrec, which prohibits him from having contact with his family and operating a motor vehicle.
Labrec returns to court March 22.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police dispatchers received a 911 call at 4:50 p.m. Saturday from a vehicle that was traveling south on U.S. 53 near Melby Street.
The woman making the call could be heard screaming to stop the car.
The woman said Labrec was driving the van, was driving erratically, and reached speeds over 90 mph with three children, ages 6, 5 and 4, in the vehicle.
The woman repeatedly asked Labrec to pull over and stop the car. The open 911 call sounded like there was a lot of yelling between Labrec, the woman and the children.
The woman told dispatchers she didn't feel safe with Labrec driving.
An Eau Claire County Sheriff's deputy located the van driving south on U.S. 53 in the southern part of the county near the Trempealeau County line.
A Trempealeau County Sheriff's deputy initiated a traffic stop of the van. The woman told the deputy they were in Chippewa Falls and that she needed to get to work in Black River Falls.
Labrec wanted to drive home and then suddenly did a U-turn on an exit ramp and started speeding and driving recklessly.
The woman said this is when she called 911.
Labrec told a deputy he had an argument with his wife about the route he was taking to get her to her job.
Labrec was told he would be arrested and he initially resisted deputies' attempts to take him into custody.
The woman later said that at one point Labrec corrected his driving behavior but was still visibly angry.
If convicted of the felony charges, Labrec could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
