Port Resident Shaken Up After Trying to Shake Off Drunken Clinger

Port Washington resident Bridget Benavides said a 24-year-old drunken-driver picked the wrong car to mess with early Sunday morning.

In talking with the police officials, Benavides said she learned most people would have driven in the ditch or pulled over if a person had jumped onto their car.

But Benavides? She stayed on the gas, swerving in an attempt to shake the man off, using the brakes when he was on the roof in an attempt to lose the man and finally turning on her hazards to alert police she was driving the car with the suspect attached.

She described the experience in two words: "worst nightmare."

The man, Lekennen T. Kirk of Milwaukee, was officially charged in Milwaukee County Court in the on Interstate 43.

Kirk was driving northbound at 1:30 a.m. on I-43 while under the influence of alcohol and struck the rear of another vehicle near Bradley Road. He abandoned his vehicle, fleeing the scene on foot, and attempted to get inside Benavides' van as it slowed to avoid hitting him, clinging to the luggage rack and hanging on for the ride.

Benavides was out that night with Kathy Mahoney, whose aunt had died the night before — so Benavides was trying to cheer Mahoney up.

"I had slowed down for the accident," Benavides said, but about a half-mile after the accident, she saw a figure in the road that she at first assumed to be a motorcyclist.

“Then I said, 'Kathy, oh my God, there's a man standing in the middle of our lane on the freeway,'" she said. "He was running toward us, grabbed the handles of our car but couldn’t open them because they were locked. I was varying anywhere from 40 to 60 miles per hour depending on what he was doing."

As Benavides sped up, attempting to get away, he jumped onto the roof, clinging to the luggage rack. He kicked and punched the sunroof trying to get inside, but was unsuccessful. While traveling at full freeway speed, he was able to break a small triangle window by the rear passenger door.

The man did a multitude of damage to Benavides' van, denting the door, breaking a window, scratching the moon roof and more.

Benavides said she is not normally out that late, but had been winning at the casino so she and Mahoney decided to stay. Now her casino winnings will pay for the deductible to fix her car — an amount of money she hopes to see paid back when the suspect heads to court.

Benavides suffered a migraine because of the adrenaline rush, but everyone came out unharmed.

"The guardian angels were (working) full time on Highway 43 this weekend," she said.

Bayside, River Hills and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department all worked together in apprehending the man. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department investigated the incident, and charges were issued today by the District Attorney’s Office.  Kirk faces six counts including:

• Operating While Intoxicated – First Offense (civil traffic citation).
• Operating with Prohibited Alcohol Concentration – First Offense, PAC .157 (civil traffic citation).
• Recklessly Endangering Safety (Second Degree – Class G Felony). 
• Duty Upon Striking Occupied or Attended Vehicle (property damage only).
• Criminal Damage to Property (Less than $2,500 damage).
• Disorderly Conduct.

If convicted on all counts, Kirk faces a sentence of up to 11 years and 6 months in prison, and fines up to $37,600.