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Western Wisconsin corrections officer killed by drunken driver, sheriff's office says

WCCO digital headlines: Afternoon of Dec. 26, 2024
WCCO digital headlines: Afternoon of Dec. 26, 2024 01:22

MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities in western Wisconsin say a correctional officer died after a suspected drunken driver struck his vehicle on the morning of Christmas Eve.

The Dunn County Sheriff's Office says Jeff Reynolds was driving westbound on U.S. Highway 29 around 2:44 a.m. on Tuesday when a driver in a northbound vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign on County Highway E, striking Reynolds's vehicle.

Reynolds had been on his way to fill in a shift at the county jail at the time of the crash.

jeff-reynolds.jpg
Jeff Reynolds Dunn County Sheriff's Office

The suspected drunken driver, a 40-year-old man from Eau Claire, has been charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, the sheriff's office says. He had his first court appearance on Thursday, where the judge set a $75,000 bond. 

Three other people, including the suspect's wife, were also injured in the crash.

The Dunn County Sheriff's Office says Reynolds began his career there in 2007 and will be greatly missed.

The crash is under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol.

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