Wisconsin Woman Accused of Wrong-Way I-94 Drive with Child in SUV

OAK CREEK, Wis. — A 37-year-old woman from Athens, Wisconsin, is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 94 with her 10-year-old child in the vehicle on Saturday, Jan. 18. Changlan Thunder was arrested following multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes near Rawson Avenue.

According to a criminal complaint, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a wrong-way driver entering the Rawson Avenue off-ramp and continuing on the shoulder of the northbound lanes. Department of Transportation cameras captured the SUV driving against traffic, narrowly avoiding collisions. The vehicle was later found off-road near a Coptic Church at I-94 and Drexel Avenue.

Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, but Thunder initially failed to comply, briefly driving east on Drexel Avenue before pulling over. The complaint states that Thunder was uncooperative but showed no signs of intoxication. A 10-year-old child was found in the vehicle with her.

Thunder faces charges of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines, and a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer by failing to stop a vehicle, which carries a penalty of up to nine months in jail and $10,000 in fines.

Thunder made her initial court appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and was released on a $750 signature bond. She is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 3 for a preliminary hearing.