Man arrested for stealing truck, OWI

On May 28 at 3:13 a.m., the Crawford County Communications Center received a report of a motor vehicle theft from 32319 County K, Lot #79, in the township of Prairie du Chien. 

The stolen vehicle was a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck. The owner of the pickup truck stated that a man attempted to gain entry into his trailer house at which time the man was told to leave. Minutes later, the owner of the pickup truck heard his vehicle start up and observed his pickup truck travelling northbound on County K. The owner of the stolen truck said the doors were unlocked and the keys were left inside.

At 4:02 a.m., a Crawford County deputy was southbound on Highway 35 in the area of Kettle Hollow Road and saw the stolen pickup truck parked in the shoulder of the northbound lane. The deputy saw a man, later identified as Daniel J. Girkin, 22, Madison, slouched over in the driver’s seat. Girkin’s seatbelt was on and all of his body weight was leaned forward against the seatbelt. The deputy awakened Girkin and asked him to exit the vehicle. The deputy saw multiple indicators of alcohol related impairment and asked Girkin to perform standardized field sobriety tests. 

Girkin was subsequently placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (second offense) and operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. Girkin was later transported to the Crawford County Jail for the booking process.  

Assisting with this case were the Prairie du Chien Police Department and Crossing Rivers Health.