Bridget Miller appears in court virtually March 14, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
CHILTON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A plea deal may be in the works for a suspect in a fatal drunken driving crash, although the details of the request could lead to a delay in the case.
Bridget Miller, 60, previously pleaded not guilty in connection with a March 11, 2023, crash in Menasha which killed one person and injured two others. Currently, an Aug. 13 trial is scheduled on six counts, including homicide by intoxicated use a motor vehicle.
In a letter to this court filed Wednesday, defense attorney Amy Menzel asks for the trial to removed from the calendar, and an Aug. 23 plea hearing scheduled.
Miller had one foot surgery, and will require another procedure June 23. Due to the two-month recovery period, Menzel asks for the late August date.
“Under the current scheduling order, Bridget would be required to enter her plea while she is still in the recovery period recommended by her doctor. I expect that Bridget Miller will be taken into custody immediately upon entering her plea, which would put the Calumet County Jail in the position of having to provide her medical care until sentencing. I am not entirely sure that the Calumet County Jail is in a position to provide the necessary medical care,” Menzel wrote.
Calumet County District Attorney Nathan Haberman has not filed a formal response to the motion, but Menzel referenced his view about the request.
“I have consulted with District Attorney Haberman about this request, and he indicated that he and the victims object to this request,” Menzel wrote.
The letter does not say what the terms of the plea deal would be.
The court has not scheduled a hearing on the issue. A jury status hearing is set for July 23, but that’s also after the June surgery date.
The crash happened at Oneida Street and Highway 114. Afterward, police talked to Miller.
“Once Bridget was outside of her truck, she had trouble keeping her balance and would stumble needing to use her truck to keep her from falling over. Bridget would immediately try to argue with the bystanders nearby and continued to shout that it was not her fault and that it was the other driver that pulled out in front of her. Bridget was upset and concerned that her new vehicle she had just purchased was now totaled. Bridget would be verbally abusive to first responders and everyone on scene trying to assist her. Bridget was showing no concern for the individuals in the four-door sedan,” the complaint states.
Later, she told police she was upset due to an argument with her husband and had gone to a friend’s house and had three beers. That friend, however, told police she was not with Miller that day.
Miller’s husband confirmed the argument and said Miller left the house about 6 p.m. — about two hours before the crash — but did not know where she went.
A preliminary breath test revealed a BAC of .193, more than double the usual legal limit of .08. However, due to her four previous drunken driving convictions, Miller’s legal limit was .02, the complaint states.
Miller told police she stopped for the red light before continuing. “Bridget again blamed the other vehicle for ‘blowing through’ the intersection and then causing the accident,” the complaint says.
A witness not involved in the crash “said they were slowing down for the yellow or red light and saw the driver go through the intersection, not slowing at all and hit a grey vehicle broadside,” according to the complaint.
Security camera video from a nearby business was obtained.
“At the time of the crash, the eastbound and westbound traffic had a green light and the northbound and southbound traffic had a red light. It was clearly shown in the video that the suspect vehicle, the black pickup truck, had blown through the red light and a high rate of speed striking the sedan,” the complaint says.
Miller’s previous convictions for drunken driving were for events on Jan. 30, 1995; Dec. 19, 1995; March 25, 2001; and Dec. 7, 2001.
The criminal complaint notes Miller was identified by her Wisconsin Driver’s License.
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