CHIPPEWA FALLS — An Eau Claire man charged in February with drunk driving and fleeing officers failed to show up for court Tuesday, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Chad Nylen, 44, 4900 Olson Dr., was charged in Chippewa County Court with OWI-3rd offense, fleeing or eluding an officer, resisting or obstructing an officer and bail jumping, stemming from a Feb. 17 traffic stop in Lake Hallie. Nylen posted a $5,000 cash bond on March 14.
When Nylen failed to show up for court Tuesday, Judge James Isaacson issued a warrant for his arrest, and ordered the cash bond to be forfeited. Isaacson ordered that the state will extradite Nylen. A bail review was reset for April 26.
Nylen had not completed a competency review, court records show.
According to a press release from Lake Hallie Police Chief Edward Orgon, a Lake Hallie police officer was on patrol at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 17 and “observed a vehicle approaching from the rear with a defective headlight traveling at a high rate of speed. As the vehicle passed the patrol squad, the vehicle was traveling on the center line and quickly swerved into the patrol squad’s lane of travel, almost striking the patrol squad. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate at a high rate of speed while swerving between the right and left lane in a reckless and unsafe manner.”
The officer activated his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle continued driving for a short distance then came to an abrupt stop on Business 53, before the Highway 124/Highway OO intersection.
Nylen, who was driving the vehicle, exited the car “armed with a machete in one hand and a large knife in the other,” Orgon wrote.
“Nylen got back into the vehicle and accelerated at a high rate of speed,” Orgon wrote. “The officer initiated a pursuit with Nylen.”
After a short chase, Nylen again exited the vehicle, but still armed with the machete and knife.
“Nylen walked away from his vehicle and ignored all commands from the officer,” Orgon wrote. “Nylen continued to ignore commands and started running in the roadway and eventually ran down the center of the road into oncoming traffic.”
Officers pursued Nylen on foot while he continued to ignore commands to stop and drop the machete and knife. Officers deployed non-lethal ammunition and a taser to stop Nylen, Orgon wrote. He eventually dropped the machete and knife, and was taken into custody.
Nylen admitted to consuming an intoxicating beverage and methamphetamine prior to operating the motor vehicle, Orgon wrote.
A blood draw was sent to the Wisconsin State Hygiene Laboratory for processing.
Online court records show Nylen is currently facing charges of bail jumping, false imprisonment, battery, disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer in Eau Claire County Court. He is slated to appear in that court today.
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