Boh waives preliminary hearing in negligent homicide case

A 23-year-old Arbor Vitae man has been bound for further proceedings after waiving his right to a preliminary on charges associated with a three-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 51 last July that took the lives of a Hazelhurst couple and injured another motorist.

Brandon L. Boh appeared in Oneida County Circuit Court Friday, Feb. 21 at which time his attorney, Gary Cirilli, announced his client had decided to waive the preliminary hearing.

After determining that the waiver was free and voluntary, judge Mike Bloom found that the criminal complaint offers sufficient probable cause that a felony was committed and scheduled Boh’s arraigned for April 14.

On Jan. 23, Oneida County prosecutors charged Boh with two counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and one count of negligent operation of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor. That charge is related to injuries suffered by the operator of the third vehicle involved in the crash, an 85-year-old Hazelhurst man.

A $10,000 signature bond was set and the preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.

According to the criminal complaint, the accident occurred at approximately 2:56 p.m. Friday, July 12, 2024.

In a press release issued following the accident, the sheriff’s office reported that a northbound 2017 Toyota Camry, operated by Greg Bohn, was waiting to turn into a private driveway when a second northbound vehicle, a 2023 International MV 607 truck owned by Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), operated by Boh, struck it from behind, pushing it into the southbound lane of Hwy. 51 where it collided with a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck operated by the 85-year-old Hazelhurst man.

Greg Bohn and his wife, Audrey, both 70, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The elderly Hazelhurst man was transported to the hospital for treatment of bone fractures, according to a police report attached to the complaint.

The complaint states that Boh told the responding officers that he looked away from the road to check that the utility trailer attached to his vehicle was still secure. 

He estimated his speed at 58 to 60 miles per hour.

Immediately following the accident, Boh consented to a blood draw to confirm there were no intoxicants in his system, the complaint states. 

He also allowed law enforcement to search his cellphone, the complaint notes.

The process was delayed, due to damage to the phone’s data port, but law enforcement was ultimately able to construct a timeline of calls and messages to and from the device from approximately one hour before the accident to one hour after the accident, the complaint states.

“In the timeline report, (the investigating officer) observed multiple incoming and outgoing messages as well as incoming and outgoing calls” including an outgoing chat message at 2:56:07 p.m.

The call log constructed by law enforcement also shows a canceled outgoing call at 2:56 p.m.

“The telephone number (of the canceled outgoing call) was not in Boh’s contact list, suggesting to (the officer) that the telephone number was manually typed or an internet search was done to locate the telephone number with a subsequent call then being placed,” the complaint states. “Based upon (the officer’s) general knowledge of how Apple iPhones work, (the officer) knows a call showing cancelled is most always due to physical manipulation of the cellular phone to cancel the call.”

If convicted of the homicide charges, Boh faces up to 20 years in prison. The misdemeanor negligent operation count carries a maximum sentence of 9 months in jail.