By Vicky Wedig
SLN Staff
An initial appearance is scheduled for Aug. 23 for a Milwaukee man charged with conspiring to sell drugs in an incident in East Troy in 2016 that resulted in police shooting and killing one of the men with him.
Roberto J. Juarez Nieves Jr., 28, was charged Aug. 3 in Walworth County Circuit Court with conspiracy to manufacture or deliver cocaine.
According to the criminal complaint, an informant arranged to buy four “eight balls” – about 14 grams – of cocaine from Juarez Nieves, who was to deliver the drugs in the Village of East Troy. While the informant – and police conducting the controlled buy – were waiting at the Shell station in East Troy, Juarez Nieves called the buyer and said he was at Roma’s Restaurant instead, according to the complaint.
When police conducting the buy arrived at Roma’s, Town of East Troy police officer Craig Knox had his service weapon drawn and pointed at a dark-colored sedan driven by Jose G. Lara, 32, with Christopher Davis, 21, in the front passenger seat and Juarez Nieves in the back seat, according to court documents.
As the sedan fled from the scene, Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Ortiz fired a shot, which struck and killed Davis, and something was thrown out of the window of the car, according to court documents. Lara, who is charged with second-degree reckless homicide in Davis’ death, said he threw the cocaine out the window as multiple police vehicles from multiple agencies chased the car, according to the complaint.
