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Driver had 27 tickets for suspension or revocation of driving license before fatal accident

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A birthday is usually a time of joy. “We’re going to celebrate with cake and balloons,” Hannah Marsden said. Marsden’s boyfriend, Taylor Poirier, is not here to celebrate his 33rd trip around the sun on Thursday. “He was silly, he was great,” she said. “He was the type of man you want to have as a father to your kids.” Poirier was killed in a crash at the corner of 76th Street and Florist Avenue last June, and two of her children were injured. Prosecutors said Navarus Campbell was driving 64 mph in a 30 mph zone when he crashed into Porier’s car. A criminal complaint says he never had a valid driver’s license. Records show he received 14 tickets for driving while suspended and 13 for revocation of a license he never had. “I think ‘what if’ all the time,” Marsden said. “I think about how different our lives would be if things were different and the laws for things like that. It’s a very big struggle for me.” Campbell only had a learner’s permit, never had a driver’s license and only got suspended and revoked tickets. The law Marsden is referring to is a loophole uncovered by 12 News Investigates. Across the state, police issue suspended and revoked tickets because drivers without a license show up in the system as “suspended” rather than “no license.” Repeat offenders receive one ticket after another, rather than a charge. A driver without a license usually gets a “driving without a license” ticket the first time. The first offense is a traffic violation. The second offense within three years is a misdemeanor charge. Yet so many drivers fail to pay that first suspended ticket, so their nonexistent license is revoked. Then the next time they’re pulled over, the officer issues a suspended ticket because their status shows up as “suspended.” A ticket for driving while license suspended is a traffic violation, whether it’s the first or dozens. “We need to make the laws stricter around driving after suspension and driving after a license is revoked,” Marsden said. “I think we could prevent some of these things if we did that.” This isn’t the only accident where unlicensed drivers continue to get tickets and keep driving anyway. It happens all the time in Milwaukee. After seeing 12 News Investigates’ reporting, Rep. LaKeshia Myers (D Milwaukee) wrote a letter to Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, Milwaukee City Chief Judge Phil Chavez and District Attorney John Chisholm asking them to review policies and penalties for drivers caught without a license. She also requested a meeting with the three. She also wrote to the state Department of Justice to address the issue. After seeing 12 News’ previous investigation, Milwaukee City Councilman Scott Spiker plans to convene the department and other stakeholders at the next Public Safety and Health Committee meeting to discuss the issue.

MILWAUKEE —

A birthday is usually a joyful time.

“We will celebrate with cake and balloons,” said Hannah Marsden.

Marsden’s boyfriend, Taylor Poirier, is not here to celebrate his 33rd orbit around the sun on Thursday.

“He was silly, he was great,” she said. “He was the kind of man you want as a father to your children.”

Poirier was killed and two of her children injured in a crash at the corner of 76th Street and Florist Avenue last June. Prosecutors said Navarus Campbell was driving 64 mph in a 30 mph zone when he crashed into Poirier’s car.

A criminal complaint states that he never had a valid driver’s license. The records show that he received 14 tickets for driving while prohibited and 13 for revocation of a license he never had.

“I think ‘what if’ all the time,” Marsden said. “I think about how different our lives would be if things were different, and the laws around things like that. That’s a very big struggle for me.”

Campbell only had a learner’s permit, never had a driver’s license, and only received tickets for suspension and revocation of his license. The law Marsden is referring to is a loophole that 12 News Investigates uncovered.

Police across the state are issuing tickets for suspended and impaired driving because unlicensed drivers are listed in the system as suspended rather than impaired. Repeat offenders receive ticket after ticket instead of a charge.

A driver without a license will usually receive a ticket for “driving without a license” the first time. The first offense is a traffic violation. The second offense within three years is a misdemeanor.

Yet so many drivers fail to pay the first OWL fine that their non-existent license is revoked. Then the next time they are stopped, the officer writes them a ticket because their status is shown as revoked. A fine for driving while revoked is a traffic violation, whether it is the first or dozens.

“We need to make the laws stricter when it comes to driving after a license has been revoked and suspended,” Marsden said. “I think we could prevent some of these things if we did that.”

This isn’t the only accident where drivers without a license continue to drive and get tickets. It happens all the time in Milwaukee.

After seeing 12 News Investigates’ reporting, Rep. LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) wrote a letter to Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, Milwaukee City Chief Judge Phil Chavez and District Attorney John Chisholm asking them to review policies and penalties for unlicensed drivers. She also requested a meeting with the three. She also wrote to the state Department of Justice to address the issue.

After seeing 12 News’ previous investigation, Milwaukee City Councilman Scott Spiker plans to call the department and other stakeholders to the next Public Safety and Health Committee meeting to discuss the issue.

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