Emergency crews work the scene of a multiple-vehicle accident on I-75 in this Chattanooga Police Department photo.

Ben Brewer

Ben Brewer, 39, the driver of a truck that plowed into several vehicles in a crash that killed six people in Chattanooga, was cited for careless driving the day before the accident.

But he was also a wanted man, according to Rock County Circuit Court in Wisconsin.

Brewer had a warrant out for his arrest in Wisconsin for an illegally obtained prescription drug, a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail.

In April 2013, officers encountered Brewer in Janesville, a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, after receiving a report that someone was attempting to pass a prescription for narcotics written by a pain clinic in Florida.

An officer arrived at the Mercy Health Mall Pharmacy at 1010 North Washington Street and found a man identifying himself as Benjamin Brewer. Brewer was then a resident of Kentucky but working in Chicago.

A search of Brewer's body yielded four white round capsules with the inscription IP101, which Brewer said was for his attention deficit hyper activity disorder.

Later, officers identified the drug as Gabapentin, a prescription medication that is used for the treatment of epilepsy.

Brewer failed to show up on his court date and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. However, states typically don't extradite suspects accused of misdemeanors, according to a handful of legal sources.