STEVENS POINT − An 18-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man pleaded not guilty June 8 to killing his friend in a July 5, 2025, Portage County crash.
Leeland D. Zuege pleaded not guilty to homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle for the crash that killed Stephan Hill, 18, of Wisconsin Rapids. Portage County Circuit Court Judge Michael Zell scheduled the next court date for Aug. 31.
What happened in the July 5 Portage County rollover crash?
According to the criminal complaint, at about 1:04 a.m. July 5, deputies and emergency medical services responded to a report of a one-vehicle rollover crash near the intersection of Evergreen Avenue and 110th Street in the Portage County town of Grant.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Zuege laying on his back partially out of the passenger-side window, according to the complaint. His left arm was pinned underneath the vehicle. He responded to the officer’s touch and could answer simple questions. Zuege was transported by helicopter to Marshfield Medical Center.
Hill was laying half inside the vehicle and half out of a sunroof, with the vehicle on top of him, according to the complaint. Hill died at the scene.
Neither Hill nor Zuege was wearing a seatbelt, according to the complaint.
Officers investigating the crash saw fresh tire tracks on Evergreen Avenue. The vehicle had been going east on Evergreen Avenue before the crash and had been fishtailing back and forth across the road, according to the complaint. The fishtailing tracks were seen going in both directions on Evergreen Avenue and indicated continuous reckless driving behavior, according to the complaint.
Witnesses describe fishtailing before crash that killed Stephan Hill
Two witnesses who were in the backseat and were wearing their seatbelts were not injured. They told officers Zuege and Hill were taking turns driving, going about 60 mph and fishtailing back and forth. At the time of the crash, the witnesses said Zuege was driving and going about 40 mph, according to the complaint.
A bottle of margarita mix was found near the crash, according to the complaint. The witnesses said Hill had been drinking alcohol but Zuege had not been drinking, according to the complaint.
Complaint outlines phone messages and drifting discussion before crash
Officers checked Zuege’s phone and saw he and Hill talked about what they would do the night of the crash, and Hill suggested they could go “drifting” on back roads where they wouldn’t encounter officers, according to the complaint.
Contact Karen Madden kmadden@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wisconsin Rapids teen enters plea in fatal July 5 crash
Reporting by Karen Madden, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune / Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Karen Madden, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
