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Franklin fatal crash; Man accused of driving drunk without a license

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FRANKLIN, Wis. – A Milwaukee man is accused of driving drunk and causing a fatal crash in Franklin on Saturday, November 2nd.

Prosecutors charged 58-year-old Leonel Molina Rios with knowingly driving without a valid license (causing death) and manslaughter by driving a vehicle while intoxicated. Court records show he is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $150,000 bail.

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Franklin police and firefighters were called to the scene near Lovers and Rawson around 6:40 that evening. A criminal complaint states that there were two SUVs with significant frontal damage.

According to prosecutors, the driver of one of the SUVs was a 74-year-old Franklin Man – died at the scene. The driver and sole occupant of the other SUV – now identified as Molina Rios – was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and taken into custody.

Crash at Lovers Lane and Rawson, Franklin

The complaint states that members of the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit discovered Molina Rios driving north on Lover Lane Road, crossing the center line and striking the victim's SUV head-on.

At the hospital, police interviewed Molina Rios. Prosecutors said he told investigators he was at a bar after work and drank two glasses of whiskey and three beers – and thought he was impaired when he drove away from the bar. A blood sample was taken as evidence.

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An employee told police she left the bar before Molina Rios that day, but served him at least four beers and two glasses of whiskey. The complaint states that a business card Molina Rios left at the bar before the accident identified him as the co-host of “Conquistador Radio.”

A review of Wisconsin Department of Transportation records revealed that Molina Rios did not have a driver's license, according to the complaint. Molina Rios also admitted to investigators that he knew he was driving without a valid license at the time of the accident.

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