SAWYER COUNTY -- Felony charges have been filed against a Hayward, WI man following a June 2021 two-vehicle crash in Sawyer County that left 1 person injured.
A criminal complaint has been filed charging Anthony Sharlow, of Hayward, WI, with Felony Hit & Run - Injury, and Felony Operating While Intoxicated Causing Injury- 2nd and Subsequent.
Sharlow’s charges stem from a two-vehicle crash that occurred on June 4, 2021, shortly before 6p in the area of County Highway K south of Froemel Road.
On June 4, 2021, Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police Department responded to a call regarding a vehicle driving in the wrong lane heading northbound towards the Sevenwinds Casino. One caller reported having to drive off the roadway to avoid a collision. Another caller reported that the suspect vehicle had collided with their vehicle before driving away from the scene of the crash.
Law enforcement responded to the scene of the reported crash and located a black 2002 GMC Sierra pickup with visible damages including a shattered driver’s side front window, a broken driver’s side mirror, paint transfer marks, and scrapes on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
The driver of the damaged pickup was still seated in the driver’s seat and was in obvious distress, according to the criminal complaint filed against Sharlow. The driver had sustained injuries including cuts on her face and arms and was bleeding. The driver also stated that she thought she might have glass in one of her eyes. The suspect vehicle collided with the GMC Sierra pickup and then quickly left the scene.
At the scene of the collision, Officers located pieces from a second vehicle that did not match the GMC Sierra pickup. It was determined that the pieces had come from a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the year 2011, or similar.
The driver of the damaged pickup was transported for medical care. Officers located a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee in the vicinity of School House Circle and Round Lake School Road that appeared to be a match for the suspect vehicle and activated emergency squad car lights to initiate a traffic stop. After the vehicle was stopped, the driver was identified as Anthony Sharlow.
Officers saw that the driver’s side mirror was missing from the Jeep Grand Cherokee and also noticed that the driver’s side front plastic wheel well trim was missing and there were paint transfer marks along the entire driver’s side of the vehicle, which correlated with the damage to the GMC Sierra pickup.
Sharlow denied being involved in any crash and said that he was not aware of any damage to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but allegedly did admit to consuming alcohol. Officers noticed that Sharlow’s speech was slurred, his eyes looked heavy, and there was a strong odor of intoxicating beverages on his breath.
The criminal complaint goes on to state that Sharlow told Officers that he would be refusing all Field Sobriety Tests, and he also refused to provide a preliminary breath sample. Officers requested and obtained a search warrant for an evidentiary sample of Sharlow’s blood. Results of that testing were not included in the criminal complaint at the time of this post.
While being transported to the Sawyer County Jail Sharlow allegedly asked if he had “hit someone”. When told that he had, he then asked if it would help if he gave $2,500 to the person. He then said that he was getting $5,000 later that day or the next day and said “I can give all of that to them, I owe them that.”
Online circuit court records show that at a court hearing on June 4, 2021, the Court placed Sharlow on a $1,500 signature bond with conditions requiring him to maintain absolute sobriety and to be subject to random testing. Sharlow made an initial appearance regarding his charges on July 6, 2021, and is scheduled to have a preliminary examination hearing later on in July 2021.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Jul 13, 2021 7:37 am CDT
