Mark Hagen lost his daughter and unborn grandchild in a fatal crash last November that prosecutors say was caused by a convicted criminal fleeing Wauwatosa Police.
Now, Hagen’s grief and anger are leading the charge to help stop reckless driving in Wisconsin.
“Just 132 days ago, my precious daughter Erin Mogensen and my unborn grandchild were killed, or as Representative (Bob) Donovan more accurately describes it, murdered by a serial felon initially fleeing Wauwatosa Police Officers,” Hagen said this week.
The Legislature passed Senate Bill 514 last month, which will increase each felony charge and time spent behind bars for reckless drivers. It would also increase the penalty for fleeing an officer that involves great bodily harm and, or death. Mandatory minimum sentencing is also included, so criminals must serve at least 10% of the maximum sentence for causing great bodily harm or death.
That bill has been sitting on Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.
On Tuesday, State Representative Bob Donovan, State Senators Dan Knodl, and Van Wanggaard held a press conference Tuesday, along with a newly formed organization, pleading for Evers to sign it.
“Governor Evers should sign this bill the moment he is able—it’s that serious,” Donovan said.
Family members, friends, and Community members came together to create “Enough is Enough: A Legacy for Erin.”
Erin Mogensen, 32, was pregnant when she and her unborn child were killed in Wauwatosa on November 2nd by a driver who, prosecutors say, was fleeing police near 100th and Capitol Drive.
Wauwatosa Police called off the chase, but the BMW later hit Mogensen’s Toyota, authorities said.
The criminal complaint says the BMW was going 116 mph. It slowed to 61 mph at the moment of impact with the Toyota. The speed limit where the crash happened is 35 mph, it says. Homicide charges were filed and are pending.
“Words cannot express how enraged I am at Erin’s murderer. But I am also incensed at the Milwaukee County judges and corrections officials who never held her killer accountable for past crimes,” Hagen said.
An autopsy showed Mogensen was seven to eight weeks pregnant.
We reported that five other people died as a result of Milwaukee reckless drivers the same week Mogensen was killed.
The new organization’s goal is to give victims of crime a voice, find solutions, and bring accountability to judicial officials through a court watch program.
“This legislation was needed five years ago when reckless driving was a budding issue. Now we have a full blown crisis on our hands. We cannot afford another year without enhanced deterrence,” said Rep. Bob Donovan. “Rash decisions of the past resulted in the situation we are in today. Criminals exploited lenient policies and the government was ill equipped to handle the historic explosion of reckless driving and fleeing an officer.”
“Traffic calming measures and expanded education programs do not address the issue that claimed Erin’s life. Criminals fleeing police will not be stopped by painted lane markers and traffic signs,” said Hagen. “The only solution to evil and selfish criminals like Erin’s killer is the knowledge that a prison term is mandatory.”
Numerous law enforcement groups, including the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, and the Wisconsin District Attorneys’ Association, support the legislation.
“I know our police are doing the best they can. The Legislature has made fleeing an officer a priority and hopefully Governor Evers does as well,” said Rep. Donovan. “However, our judges are rarely scrutinized and I believe a court watch program is a simple yet effective tool—sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
Frank Mosley, 20, has been charged in Morgensen’s death with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree reckless homicide-unborn child, and hit and run resulting in death.
