Former Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputy Joel Streicher became a convicted former law enforcement officer after a January 25, 2020 crash in downtown Milwaukee killed Ceasar Stinson, a 47-year-old Milwaukee Public Schools lobbyist and community activist.
According to the Associated Press, Streicher was on duty when he drove through a red light and collided with a pickup driven by Stinson. AP reported that Streicher told investigators he had looked at his squad car computer before the crash. Stinson died at the scene, and a woman riding in his pickup was injured.
The details reported from the criminal complaint make this more than a vague “accident” story. FOX6 Milwaukee reported that prosecutors said Streicher was driving an unmarked squad near 10th Street and State Street, looked away from the road at his squad computer, and indicated it was possible he drove through a red light.
FOX6 also reported that surveillance video showed the traffic lights facing Streicher had been red for 11 seconds before the crash. Prosecutors said Streicher did not brake, was traveling about 29 to 30 miles per hour, and was driving in a right-turn-only lane while continuing straight through the intersection. Stinson, driving a black Ford F-150, entered the intersection with the right of way.
WISN 12 News reported that Streicher was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. The same report said Streicher was driving an unmarked Milwaukee County squad car on North 10th Street when he hit Stinson’s truck at West State Street.
Streicher pleaded guilty in January 2021. TMJ4 Milwaukee reported that Streicher entered the guilty plea in Milwaukee County court, after telling investigators he did not remember seeing traffic signals or entering the intersection before the collision.
The sentence was light compared with the death it followed. AP reported that Streicher was sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation. WISN reported the same sentence and said Streicher told the court that the crash haunted him every day.
The civil case added another layer. The law firm representing Stinson’s estate, Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs, said Milwaukee County paid a $500,000 partial settlement to Stinson’s estate and his wife, Chipo Stinson. The firm also said the estate continued pursuing federal civil-rights claims over Streicher’s conduct.
As always, the labels matter. Streicher was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and pleaded guilty. The civil-rights lawsuit involved claims by Stinson’s estate, not criminal convictions on those claims. The settlement was a civil settlement, not a trial verdict.
Still, the core facts are hard to soften: an on-duty deputy looked away from the road, drove through a red light, struck a vehicle that had the right of way, and killed Ceasar Stinson. Streicher walked into court as a former deputy and left as a convicted man in a case that never should have happened.
