Authorities: Driver had been 'huffing' before he hit Scouts along Wisconsin highway A western Wisconsin pickup truck driver had been...
A western Wisconsin pickup truck driver had been “huffing†chemical vapors shortly before he hit and killed three Girl Scouts and one of their parents picking up litter Saturday along a western Wisconsin highway, authorities said Monday.
Colton Treu, 21, of Chippewa Falls, was expected to appear in court late Monday morning on 13 possible charges, including four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, according to Chippewa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Jensen. Treu fled the scene before turning himself in later Saturday.
Also Monday, authorities released the identities of those killed in the crash about 11:40 a.m. along County Road P near the Hwy. 29 overpass in Lake Hallie, roughly 95 miles east of Minneapolis.
Police identified those killed as Jayna S. Kelley, 9, of Lake Hallie; Autumn A. Helgeson, 10, of Lake Hallie; and Haylee J. Hickle, 10, and her mother, Sara Jo Schneider, 32, both from Lafayette.
A 10-year-old girl remains hospitalized in stable condition. Her identity has yet to be disclosed.
Treu was speeding north on County Road P in his pickup when it veered over the centerline and into a shallow ditch where some of the fourth-graders and the mother were collecting litter as part of an “Adopt-A-Highway†group of 12 walking along both sides of the road, according to police and witnesses.
Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil held outside Halmstad Elementary School in Chippewa Falls on Sunday evening.Two girls and the mother were dead at the scene. Two other girls were taken by ground and air ambulances to a hospital, where one of them died later Saturday. The other girl was initially reported to be in critical condition and later listed in stable condition.
The group consisted of seven girls and five parents, and all were in the ditch and had on “highly visible†green safety vests, according to a police statement Monday.
A sheriff’s deputy “diligently tracked†vehicle fluids from the scene roughly 1 3/4 miles north to a residence in Chippewa Falls, the statement read.
Law enforcement located the truck in the garage, but Treu and a passenger who was with him had already left the house.
Nearly five hours after the crash, Treu turned himself in to police. His passenger, whose identity has yet to be released, surrendered to Eau Claire police Saturday afternoon.
Both told police that they had been “huffing,†inhaling chemical vapors, shortly before the crash.
The girls were students at the Halmstad and Southview elementary schools in the Chippewa Falls School District and members of Troop 3055. Counselors were being made available to students and staff when classes resumed Monday.
In front of Halmstad Elementary, teddy bears, balloons, candles and a bouquet of flowers sat on two wooden benches Sunday afternoon. Inside, dozens of families met with faith leaders and counselors, as they did at Southview.
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday night in the rain outside Halmstad to remember the Girl Scouts and the mother who were struck while making their community a better place to live.
“It was heartbreaking,†Tabatha Kolve, 18, a Girl Scout and a troop leader who helped her fourth-graders assemble 150 candles for the vigil. She drove in from Eleva-Strum, 30 minutes away. “There isn’t much to say because it was so upsetting.â€
Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.
pwalsh@startribune.com 612-673-4482 walshpj More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago Minneapolis Mpls., St. Paul mayors eye land sales to fund housing projects November 4 Business Millennial men leave perplexing hole in hot U.S. job market November 4 More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago Minneapolis Mpls., St. Paul mayors eye land sales to fund housing projects November 4 Business Millennial men leave perplexing hole in hot U.S. job market November 4 More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 1 minute ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Vikings Hunter creates havoc, Vikings set team sack record in 24-9 win over Lions 37 minutes ago More from Star Tribune More From Local- Local 1 minute ago
No comments