Wisconsin man faces homicide charges after alleged drunken driving crash kills four siblings
WAUPACA, Wis. (AP) — An eastern Wisconsin man has been charged in a wrong-way collision that killed four siblings last weekend, authorities said.
Scott Farmer, of Neenah, is charged with four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle in Saturday’s crash in Weyauwega, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee.
Farmer, 47, appeared Monday via video from the Waupaca County jail for his initial court appearance. The judge set his bond at $750,000 after prosecutor Veronica Isherwood requested a $4 million cash bail, WLUK-TV reported.
Farmer’s attorney, Alex Gelhar, did not seek a specific bond amount. He said Farmer has strong family and financial ties to the area “that could indicate to the court that he is not a flight risk.”
Police said Farmer was driving the wrong way on Highway 10 when his truck crashed into an SUV Saturday night, killing driver Daniel Gonzalez, 25, his brother Fabian Gonzalez, 23, and their sisters, Lilian Gonzalez, 14, and Daniela Gonzalez, 9.
The victims’ stepfather, Kurt Schilling, was unhappy with the bond amount approved for Farmer, saying, “$750,000 after killing four beautiful people’s lives, our children. Where’s the justice in that?”
He and his wife Paulina, who is the victims’ mother, plan to a hold funeral service for them in Wisconsin. They will then travel to Paulina’s native Ecuador, where the siblings will be buried.