August 22, 2022 at 11:56 a.m.
Another pretrial scheduled in Wildcat case
Investigation still in discovery phase
Another pretrial scheduled in Wildcat case
By Trevor Greene-
Milanowski scheduled the hearing after district attorney Karl Hayes advised the investigation is still ongoing.
"We're still in the discovery phase of this matter," Hayes told Milanowski at the initial pretrial Aug. 16. "As the court is aware, these death investigations are expansive and take time. We are still waiting for various records and documents and materials to be provided to us by law enforcement and through the legal process."
The investigation Hayes referenced is with regard to the death of 31-year-old Alejandro Retana-Echeverria, the man Wildcat allegedly struck with her vehicle during the early morning hours of June 16 on U.S. Highway 51 in Arbor Vitae.
She has entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
According to Hayes, documentation provided up to this point has been shared with Wildcat's attorney, Daniel Snyder of Snyder Law Office in Park Falls, including most recently, a crash reconstruction report filed the morning of Aug. 16, prior to the initial pretrial.
At the conclusion of a June 29 preliminary hearing, Hayes indicated a more severe charge for Wildcat could be forthcoming, given that she is suspected to have been intoxicated and under the influence of marijuana when the incident occurred.
When Snyder was asked if he agreed with Hayes' request to schedule another pretrial, he answered yes, because he said the drug panels yet to be received "could be critical to the case" and "central to the prosecution's case."
Hayes, however, disagreed with Snyder's "characterization" of the state's case due to the fact that Wildcat is not charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated at this time.
The Aug. 16 pretrial was Wildcat's first court appearance since her cash bond of $5,000 was posted following the June 29 preliminary hearing.
Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].
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