MONROE — A Monroe man is facing a homicide charge in the death of his passenger in a rollover crash in Juda earlier this year.
Steven Lee Moon, 55, was observed drunk less than an hour before the July 27 accident that killed David Scott Eldred, 54, also of Monroe, according to court records.
Moon was charged last week in Green County Circuit Court with one Class D felony count each of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited blood-alcohol concentration. A Class D felony carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000.
His initial appearance in court is Monday, Dec. 10. Court records show no prior OWI convictions.
According to police reports included with the criminal complaint filed Nov. 29:
A man on his way to work at the nearby Grande Cheese factory called 911 at 3:51 a.m. to report the accident on Wisconsin 11/81 just east of County S.
Deputies arrived within minutes and found the 1993 Dodge Dakota pickup truck in the ditch, unoccupied and still warm to the touch. An investigation determined that the truck had rolled before it landed on its wheels.
The rollover ejected Eldred “along with a large quantity of property and items” including camping and fishing supplies, a kayak, an unopened bag of bread and cans of beer.
“The vehicle itself emitted a noticeable odor of intoxicants,” wrote Green County Detective John Schuetz in one report. Schuetz also “noted that all seatbelts in the vehicle were in the upright/resting position indicating that they had not been in use during the collision.”
Eldred was declared dead at the scene, having suffered a fractured neck, broken ribs and “significant injuries” to his liver and heart.
Moon was also found lying outside the truck. He was conscious but slurring his words. He gave conflicting reports of what had happened, who had been driving and who was in the truck at the time of the accident. However, he later admitted to being the driver.
Three cadaver dogs and their handlers searched the area for a possible third person injured in the crash, but located no one.
A test of Moon’s blood drawn almost three hours after the accident showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.225 percent, nearly three times the 0.08 percent legal limit for driving.
Moon and his pickup truck were seen at the Kwik Trip in Monroe less than an hour before the accident.
Employees at the Kwik Trip told police Moon smelled of alcohol and was so drunk he fell down in the store and had to be helped up. Moon purchased a loaf of bread and ground chuck beef. Surveillance video shows he missed his pocket with the change a cashier handed him and another employee helped him pick it up after it scattered on the floor.