Waukesha man charged over fatal UTV mishap in Oconto County
OCONTO – A Waukesha man faces two felony counts over the death of a passenger who fell from the back of the utility terrain vehicle he was driving in the town of Doty over Memorial Day weekend.
Scot A. Haas, 53, was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle, which carries an maximum initial confinement of five years, and homicide by intoxicated use a vehicle, punishable by a minimum initial prison term of five years up to 15 years.
Haas made his initial appearance Monday morning on the charges. Judge Michael T. Judge set bond at $5,500, which Haas posted. Judge also ordered Haas to not consume alcohol or drive.
David Weinmann, 56, of West Chicago, Illinois, died after the incident, which occurred shortly after 9 p.m. May 29.
According to the criminal complaint:
When Oconto County deputies arrived, two people not involved in the accident – one a registered nurse – were performing CPR on Weinmann. He was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later at Aspirus Langlade Hospital in Antigo.
A deputy saw Haas sobbing while on his hands and knees.
Haas was driving the UTV eastbound on Boulder Lake Road. The passengers included Weinmann and a 25-year-old man in the cargo area, and a 57-year-old man in the passenger seat.
Haas told the deputy that when he reached the intersection with County T, he told “everyone to hang on,” turned south and accelerated, and Weinmann fell off the UTV.
Haas said he was traveling at 10 to 15 mph at the time, and that he was not intentionally operating the UTV carelessly and was attempting to be safe.
The other passenger in the back of the UTV said he attempted to grab Weinmann as he began sliding out of the tailgate, but he landed on his buttocks and fell backwards, striking his head on the concrete.
The passenger, who pounded on the back window and told the front seat passengers that Weinmann was out of the cargo area, said he believed they were traveling about 20 mph.
While speaking with Haas, the deputy smelled alcohol and asked how much he had consumed before driving. Haas said he had two “Jack and Cokes,” the second of which was 45 minutes earlier.
Haas agreed to complete a field sobriety test, but stopped before he finished and asked instead if he could “just do a breathalyzer,” as he was having difficulty with the test because of his emotions.
The test found a 0.133% alcohol content.
Haas was arrested and cited shortly thereafter for operating an ATV/UTV while under the influence of an intoxicant causing injury. He was released after posting a $500 cash bond at the sheriff’s office.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27.
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Contact Kent Tempus at (920) 431-8226 or ktempus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Waukesha man charged over fatal UTV mishap in Oconto County
