May 5, 2021 at 4:24 p.m.
Rhinelander woman makes initial appearance in fatal OWI case
Rhinelander woman makes initial appearance in fatal OWI case
By River News Staff-
According to a criminal complaint filed April 19, Lori Lewis was operating a small maroon truck on Pine Lake Road on the evening of June 16, 2020 when she lost control on a curve, causing the vehicle to roll over. Her passenger, a 69-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time, Lewis lived in Tripoli. A summons was sent to that address, only to be returned by the post office. As a result, a warrant was issued for her arrest. However, Lewis had moved to Rhinelander about 8 months ago.
She was arrested on May 3 and appeared the next day before Oneida County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bloom with public defender Breanna Magallones. Magallones argued that her client is not a flight risk, lives on a fixed income, and has no criminal record other than a previous OWI conviction.
Bloom set a $15,000 signature bond with conditions that she not go on tavern premises or consume alcohol anywhere, not drive a motor vehicle, leave the state or have any contact with the family of the victim. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 20 at 8:30 a.m.
According to the complaint, the first officer to arrive on scene, Det. Sgt. Matthew Tate of the Minocqua Police Department, reported finding two individuals, one male and one female, lying on the ground near the vehicle, partially covered with blankets. The woman was located near the driver's side door and was alert, according to the officer's report.
When asked what happened, she said, "I went around that curve and lost my brakes," the officer wrote. "I was driving because he was drinking and I wasn't."
Tate also noted "the odor of intoxicants" coming from the woman and the presence of multiple beer cans in and near the vehicle, according to the report.
Also on scene were a pair of motorists who discovered the crash scene.
The motorists reported they did not see which individual exited from the driver's side of the vehicle but noted that Lewis was checking the injured male for a pulse when they discovered the crash. They also advised that Lewis told them that her brakes went out. The motorists told Lewis to lie down and await the arrival of emergency personnel, the report states.
The Oneida County medical examiner pronounced the male dead at the scene while Lewis was transported to Howard Young Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
While at the hospital, officers performed a blood draw. According to the complaint, the state crime lab later determined Lewis's blood alcohol concentration was 0.054 g/100mL. Her blood also showed the presence of Delta-9 THC in the amount of 2.1 ng/mL, the complaint states.
In addition to the homicide by vehicle charge, Lewis has also been charged with operating with a restricted controlled substance in blood (second offense).
If convicted, she faces up to 50 years in prison.
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