Elijah Schanau (Oconto Co. Jail)
OCONTO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The suspect in an deadly alleged drunken driving crash in Oconto County earlier this year pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Elijah Schanau, 24, of Little Suamico, faces one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle for the April 5 crash in Pensaukee. An online obituary identified the victim as JJ Liegeois.
Schanau was arraigned Thursday and scheduled for a status conference on Nov. 23, court records show. It was his first court appearance since a preliminary hearing in June.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called to a crash between a pickup truck and UTV around 3:30 a.m. at Old 41 Road and Wood Road. Police interviewed Schanau, who was driving the truck, at the scene.
“He stated he was at a bean bag tournament in Oconto earlier on in the morning, had a few alcoholic drinks, was headed home and hit something,” the complaint states. “Elijah stated that he was driving and saw headlights coming at him and by the time he realized the lights were in his lane, it was too late and he hit the UTV.”
Field sobriety tests were conducted and Schanau scored a .238% on a preliminary breath test — nearly three times the legal limit of .08. A blood draw was performed as well, but results are not cited in the complaint.
Liegeois had left a bar, took a friend home and then was headed home himself when the crash happened, the complaint states.
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