Waukesha letter carrier arrested in suspected drunken driving

Published on: 9/27/2011

Waukesha - A 45-year-old postal service employee was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving on Saturday after police received a call that a mail delivery vehicle had struck other vehicles and was attempting to drive away without reporting the collisions, Waukesha police said Tuesday.

As they made their arrest of Scott L. Schepp, police officers found an open bottle of brandy on the floor board area of his postal vehicle, Capt. Ron Oremus said.

A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to police.

Officers determined that the postal vehicle hit vehicles that were parked in front of and behind it in the 900 block of Blackstone Ave. about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oremus said.

The postal vehicle also had fresh damage from a separate accident that is believed to have occurred just outside Waukesha city limits, Oremus said.

Schepp received a municipal citation for first-offense operating while intoxicated. Because it is a municipal citation, the case has been referred by police to the Waukesha City Attorney's office, Oremus said.

Waukesha police released part of the 911 recording in which a male caller reported the incident.

Asked by a dispatcher whether the mail truck was still there, the caller says, "He's right here and he can barely walk. He stumbled up the stairs. He parked right against a friend of mine's car here"

The dispatcher ask, "And he's out of the vehicle, though?"

"He's standing here wobbling as we speak, yes," the caller says.

U.S. Postal Service spokesman Tim Ratliff said an internal investigation is under way.

He said he could not comment on the Schepp's status.

However, he said the postal service's general protocol is to place employees who are arrested or under investigation on emergency suspension.

It isn't the first case of suspected drunken driving involving a postal service employee in Waukesha. In 2007, a postal driver was accused of drunken driving after driving his truck into a sign.