Man arrested after vehicle strikes police squad car

Karen Madden
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
A Juneau County squad car sits in the ditch along State 12, near Mauston Saturday after being hit by a suspected drunken driver.

MAUSTON - A 47-year-old man who was driving a vehicle that hit a Juneau County squad car was arrested and is facing a drunken driving charge. 

Two Juneau County deputies were helping a Wisconsin state trooper with a traffic stop on State 12, near Juneau County J, south of Mauston at about 12:41 a.m. Saturday, according to a Juneau County news release. The officers were standing near their squad cars when they saw a vehicle going west on the highway at about 55 mph and traveling on the shoulder, according to the release. 

The three officers ran into the north ditch to avoid being hit by the oncoming vehicle, according to the release. The vehicle hit a county squad car and pushed it into another squad car, narrowly missing the officers, according to the release. 

Officers arrested Kurt Salverson, 47, of Mauston, on suspicion of drunken driving, having open intoxicants, unsafe lane deviation and failing to change lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle. 

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