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Officers in highway safety program issue over 250 citations, make 80 arrests

WALWORTH COUNTY — Walworth County sheriff’s deputies, the Wisconsin State Troopers and area police issued 274 citations and made 80 arrests in one week in a program that focuses on highway safety for both car and truck drivers, according to a news release from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.

STEP (Specialized Traffic Enforcement Program) is a collaborative annual program by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and police departments in Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, the village of Walworth and Janesville.

During the week of Sept. 17-21, 80 arrests were made, including persons with outstanding warrants for sexual assault, probation violation holds, bail jumping and drivers with a revoked or suspended license. Six of the arrests were OWIs.

The 274 citations were issued for violations that included texting while driving, open intoxicants in a car, speeding, no proof of insurance, unsafe passing, failure to wear a seatbelt and failure to obey traffic signs.

Six drivers with a commercial license and seven commercial vehicles were ordered out of service because of violations.

The release also noted that 178 warnings were issued during that week for violations ranging from no front license plate, cracked windshields, defective mufflers and speeding.