Police: Fall Creek woman steals truck, kicks two cops during arrest
Jan. 26—EAU CLAIRE — An intoxicated Fall Creek woman stole a pickup truck from a town of Seymour residence and then kicked two Eau Claire County Sheriff's deputies while she was in their custody, authorities say.
Jenny F. Burke, 48, was charged in Eau Claire County Court with three felony counts of bail jumping, two felony counts of battery to a law enforcement officer, a felony count of operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, and misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer and third-offense drunken driving.
Burke is free on a $3,000 signature bond, which prohibits her from having contact with the owner of the truck and the two deputies. She must also maintain absolute sobriety.
Burke returns to court March 8.
According to the criminal complaint:
Deputies received a report at 5:45 p.m. Saturday that a GMC Sierra had just been stolen from a residence on Tower Drive and was being driven eastbound on Tower Drive.
The truck's owner said he was inside his residence when he heard his dog barking. The man looked outside and saw someone driving away in his truck.
A deputy saw the stolen truck driving near the Seymour Town Hall. He activated his emergency lights and siren and pulled the driver over.
Burke was identified as the driver. She was taken into custody and agreed to answer questions.
Burke said she did not know who owned the truck. She said she was walking in the area and noticed the keys were in the truck's ignition. So she decided to start the truck and drive away. She admitted she did not have permission to drive the vehicle.
The deputy could smell a strong odor of intoxicants coming from Burke. She said she had consumed a bottle of wine and talked about buying alcohol at a gas station.
Burke was transported to the Seymour Fire Station to perform field sobriety tests, which she failed. She was placed under arrest for drunken driving.
When Burke was being placed in the back of a squad car, she kicked a deputy in the thumb. The deputy felt a pop in his thumb, which caused sharp, radiating pain.
Burke was taken to HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital for a blood draw. While there, she kicked a second deputy in the leg, which caused pain and bruising.
When she was being escorted back to a squad car, she kicked a deputy in the leg multiple times. This was the same deputy she previously kicked in the thumb.
A records check showed Burke had previously been convicted of drunken driving in Chippewa County in February 1993 and January 1996.
At the time of her arrest, Burke was free on bond for three pending felony cases in both Chippewa and Eau Claire counties.
Burke is being prosecuted as a repeat offender. She has been convicted of three misdemeanors in the past five years.
If convicted of the new felony charges, Burke could be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison.
