Eleva police chief faces OWI charge

The Eleva police chief was arrested for first-offense driving under the influence after his squad car hit a deer while the officer was responding to an emergency call.

Patrick McKillip, 54, of Chippewa Falls, reportedly told officers he was travelling at about 85 miles an hour on Highway 93 near Holden Road when his vehicle hit the deer and was disabled, according to a report provided by Osseo Police Chief Randy Jensen. 

During a conversation with Amanda Cain, the Osseo police officer who first responded to McKillip’s call for help just after midnight on Jan. 5, McKillip is quoted as saying the “deer was dead, the squad is dead and so was he.”

McKillip has been the Eleva police chief since 1998, according to his profile on the website LinkedIn. He is scheduled to appear in court April 23. Eleva officials had no comment about the chief or whether village officials would be meeting to discuss the event. 

Cain said she noticed what she thought could be the scent of aftershave, mouthwash or an intoxicant around the chief when she first arrived at the scene. She noted too that he stumbled as he was getting into her squad, her report says.

As she was driving him to Eleva, Cain said there was an “overwhelming odor of intoxicants.” According to Cain’s report, McKillip first refused sobriety tests but later agreed. The test showed blood alcohol at .109 which exceeds Wisconsin’s legal limit of .08. Cain then called for the assistance of a deputy because she was concerned about McKillip still having his gun.

The deputy aided in McKillip removing his gun and state troopers then arrived to take over the investigation, according to Cain’s report. McKillip was arrested, handcuffed and taken to a medical clinic in Osseo for a blood draw. He was eventually released to his girlfriend, Cain’s report says.

The emergency call to which McKillip was responding was safely resolved by other officers, Cain’s report says.