Bice: Gov. Scott Walker's son billed $25.08 for using state vehicle for personal use

Alex Walker, soon to be a campaign aide to Sen. Leah Vukmir and the younger son of the governor, was caught earlier this year using a state van to move a friend in Madison. 

An officer for the Maple Bluff Police Department pulled over the vehicle on the afternoon of Aug. 18 on Sherman Ave., about a mile from the Executive Residence.

Asked why the van was stopped, Maple Bluff Police Chief Tim Krueger, who was not the officer at the scene, said Thursday: "It was probably someone riding in an unsafe manner with one too many people in that (front) seat."

Alex Walker and a couple of friends were using the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan to move one of the buddies to an off-campus University of Wisconsin-Madison apartment. Krueger said officers did not ticket the governor's son nor the driver of the vehicle. Alex Walker was not behind the wheel.

The police chief said there was video of the stop, but it was not immediately available. 

State officials were alerted to the situation, and they billed the governor's son. 

"Because the vehicle was used for a non-state purpose, Alex reimbursed the state for vehicle usage based on the DOA Bureau of Enterprise Fleet’s calculation of a comparable commercial rate for renting a van," said Steve Michels, spokesman for the state Department of Administration.  

"Payment of $25.08 was received on September 19," Michels continued by email. "We have reviewed our vehicle use policy with the residence and staff and will follow up with additional training as needed."

In other words, Gov. Scott Walker's family and mansion employees were reminded not to use state cars and vehicles for personal purposes.  

The governor's son ended up getting a pretty good deal with the state. The rate was comparable to renting a nine-foot cargo van from U-Haul, which would have cost him $20 a day and 89 cents a mile — but without the public hassle. 

Reached Friday, Alex Walker, 22, said he had no comment on the situation beyond Michels' statement.

Walker, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison last year and was chairman of the College Republicans in Wisconsin, said he will start work Monday as deputy political director for Vukmir's U.S. Senate campaign. 

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.