Matthew Brennecke, the Dousman man charged with driving off after a deadly collision with a lawn tractor driven by an Oconomowoc man, will stand trial on a felony charge of hit and run involving death.
Following a preliminary hearing Aug. 6, Waukesha County Circuit Court Commissioner Kevin Costello determined the allegations were based in sufficient probable cause to warrant Brennecke be bound over for trial. A trial date has not been set. A follow-up hearing is planned for Oct. 1.
Brennecke, 49, formally pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, if he is convicted.
Authorities arrested Brennecke July 17 after a three-day search that began when passersby found Allan Eighmy, 87, of Oconomowoc badly injured at Orchard Circle and Allen Road in the City of Oconomowoc. Eighmy was riding a lawn tractor on Allen Road when the collision occurred at about 1 p.m. July 14. Police said he may have been on the way to mow the grounds of Dr. Martin Luther Church on Main Street in Oconomowoc.
Eighmy, who sustained severe head injuries, died two days later at Aurora Medical Center in Summit.
At the Aug. 6 preliminary hearing, Oconomowoc Police Detective Christopher Moss testified about the steps authorities took to identify Brennecke’s vehicle, a 2007 Volvo XC90, and to link him to the collision. His arrest was added by public tips in response to investigators’ plea for information following the accident.
Brennecke remains in custody in the Waukesha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dousman man charged in fatal Oconomowoc hit-and-run has been bound over for trial
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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