TOWN OF MONROE — A semi vs. SUV crash late Nov. 20 just outside Monroe led to citations against the semi driver and against an angry father who pursued and tried to stop the semi driver because his daughter was in the SUV.

The semi driver, 47-year-old Anderson H. Khochaiche, of Lake Worth, Florida, is cited in Green County Circuit Court for failure to stop at a stop sign.

The father, 57-year-old James D. Donnell of New Glarus, is cited for reckless driving and disorderly conduct.

Both are due in court Dec. 21. 

Donnell said in a public post to Facebook that he plans to contest his noncriminal citations.

The crash happened by Pleasant View Park at the intersection of Wisconsin 81 at County N, Town of Monroe. Green County deputies, Green County EMS and the Monroe Fire Department were dispatched to the scene at about 11:30 p.m. Nov. 20.

According to an investigation by deputies, Khochaiche was hauling an enclosed trailer northbound on County N when he failed to stop at the intersection and collided with a westbound vehicle on Wis. 81.

The westbound driver, Lucas T. McKeon, 25, and his passenger Briana L. Donnell, 22, both of Blanchardville, sustained minor injuries in the crash. Their SUV sustained disabling damage, with airbag deployment.

Khochaiche continued driving northbound toward New Glarus, without stopping. He later claimed he was unaware the SUV had struck his trailer. The trailer had very minor damage.

Meanwhile, James Donnell received a “frantic/hysterical call” from his daughter Briana, the passenger in the SUV, and took off from New Glarus to help her and find the semi.

Donnell, a retired Madison police officer and K9 handler, encountered the semi at the intersection of County N and County C. He got out of his truck and confronted Khochaiche.

“I knocked on the semi door, receiving no response from the driver, so I proceeded to open the semi door. He asked me, ‘What’s going on,’ and I proceeded to tell him he was just in an accident. He said he wasn’t in (an) accident and tried to close the door on me,” Donnell wrote in his public post to Facebook.

After an argument between the two men, Donnell said Khochaiche “closed his door and proceeded to drive away in such haste that he almost stuck me while doing so.”

Donnell said he next called 911 and then followed Khochaiche until he saw New Glarus police stop the semi. Donnell admitted to crossing the dotted center line in an attempt to pull in front of Khochaiche, but “realized this would have been a bad idea” and pulled back behind the semi.

The Green County Sheriff’s Office investigation confirms Donnell’s account. But it also notes that Donnell “attempted to remove Khochaiche from the cab of the semi” and Donnell “was flashing his vehicle lights” at the semi and “crossing the center line in an attempt to pull him over.”

Donnell maintained that it was a clear hit-and-run crash and Khochaiche had driven recklessly at speeds exceeding 75 mph.

The officer in charge of the investigation never interviewed Donnell, “even though he and dispatch were aware I was a retired police officer,” Donnell wrote. Donnell accused Khochaiche of having “such a low moral compass that after violently striking a vehicle with people in it, (he) did not stop to see if they were injured, or even alive ... (then) continued on at a breakneck speed” to get away.

But Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud told the Times on Nov. 23 he wasn’t anticipating more citations against Khochaiche.

“The deputies just did not feel they had enough information to cite for hit-and-run,” Skatrud said.

Deputies did however order the semi out of service until it had been repaired.

“Law enforcement has the ability to do that if they believe a commercial vehicle needs to be repaired,” Skatrud said.

Skatrud said Donnell had called him and they had a meeting set up for later in the week to talk about the incident.

In general, Skatrud said, “I would just prefer people not intervene like that. There’s no good that can come from that. ... Just call it in and let us do our jobs is the safest way to do it.”

Observations from witnesses are always welcome, he added, “but directly confronting folks is walking down a dangerous path these days, or potentially dangerous.”