Kids traveling in camper wave at cars for help, leading to man’s arrest, WI cops say

A 57-year-old man was arrested after drivers reported seeing children waving for help from inside a camper being hauled along a highway in Wisconsin, officials said.

Calls came in to the Wisconsin State Patrol on July 24 from motorists concerned about multiple children spotted in the windows of a fifth-wheel camper signaling for help, troopers said in a news release. Callers said a pickup truck was hauling the RV and that “the children appeared to be in distress.”

Troopers located the camper and conducted a “high-risk stop” in Madison.

They spoke to the driver of the truck, later identified as an Illinois resident, and carried out a field sobriety test that indicated he was intoxicated, according to the state patrol.

Troopers also checked the camper he was towing and discovered nine children inside, all under 16 years old, officials said.

“The children located in the fifth-wheel camper knew (the driver) ... and were later safely reunited with family,” the release said, though investigators didn’t say how the kids knew him.

It’s also unclear where he was taking the children.

The man was arrested on a charge of operating while under the influence with passengers under 16 years of age and booked into the Sauk County Jail, officials said. He is also facing charges “that originated in Lake Delton,” which is a roughly 50-mile drive northwest from Madison.

“The case is still on-going and under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol and Lake Delton Police Department,” the state patrol said.

This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Kids traveling in camper wave at cars for help, leading to man’s arrest, WI cops say."