CHILTON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The suspect in a drunk driving fatal crash was ordered Friday to stand trial.
Bridget Miller, 59, waived a preliminary hearing Friday. Her arraignment is scheduled for June 16, according to a court official.
Miller allegedly caused the March 11 crash in Menasha. One person — the 19-year-old Grand Chute man driving the other vehicle — was killed and two others were injured. Miller faces six charges, including homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. It would be her fifth OWI offense, and her BAC was .193, according to the criminal complaint.
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 drunk 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.
Miller faces charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle while having a prohibited alcohol concentration, injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle, injury by use of a vehicle while having a prohibited alcohol concentration, OWI causing injury and prohibited alcohol concentration causing injury. She faces a combined maximum penalty of 117 years in the prison system. The two homicide counts include minimum five-year prison terms, although there can be exceptions to that.
