GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The driver who struck and killed a pedestrian along an Ashwaubenon road hours after smoking marijuana was convicted Friday.
Chad Scott, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony count of hit and run involving death, as well as a citation for operating with a restricted, controlled substance. Derrick Murphy was killed in the crash.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 19.
Scott said he smoked marijuana about 10 p.m. on Nov. 29, hours before picking up his son at his job. He was driving on Ashland Avenue.
According to the criminal complaint:
Chad stated that approximately 100-200 feet north of Cormier Rd. he all of the sudden saw something in the road and he struck it. Chad stated that he thought it was a deer, but admitted that it could have been a person. Chad stated that the thing he hit was black and brown. Chad stated that the front window broke, and so did the passenger side window. Chad stated that he stopped and he and Caleb got out and looked around. Chad stated that he walked about 25-30 yards from the vehicle back to the area where he hit something and did not see anything. Chad stated that he thought he hit a deer and it ran off. Chad stated that he did not see anything in the road other than glass, and nothing in the ditch. Chad stated that he knows that he should not smoked (sic) weed and drive. Chad stated that he was not too high to drive. Chad stated that he was sorry about hitting a person tonight, that he wanted to apologize to the family. Chad stated that he never meant to hurt someone or take a life.
Scott went home, then called police to report the crash.
He failed several aspects of a field sobriety test. A blood sample was taken but no results are cited in the complaint.
In Wisconsin, there is no threshold level for marijuana as there is for alcohol; any presence of the illegal drug can result in charges. In most cases, there is no requirement for prosecutors to show impairment caused by the drug.
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