MADISON — A Monroe woman accused of causing the death of a New Glarus man last summer while driving under the influence made her initial appearance Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court.
According to the criminal complaint:
Janice Teasdale, 34, told a witness she fell asleep while driving southbound on Wisconsin 69 in the Town of Montrose Aug. 11, 2017. The witness, a northbound motorist, said he saw a Ford Escape sideswipe a northbound truck, lose control and collide head on with a northbound Buick.
The Buick was driven by John F. Marty, 70, New Glarus. He was pronounced dead at the scene after life-saving efforts by Belleville EMS and Med Flight personnel were unsuccessful.
A passenger in the Buick was transported to an area hospital for observation, and Teasdale was transported and treated for minor injuries.
It took Dane County prosecutors more than 10 months to file charges against Teasdale. Assistant District Attorney Awais Khaleel said the charges could not be filed until the medical examiner completed his report. Khaleel said he is still waiting on further blood test results.
“There was THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) in the blood and there may have been other controlled substances as well,” Khaleel told Court Commission Scott McAndrew Thursday.
Teasdale’s attorney, Jason Gonzalez, entered a not guilty plea to two misdemeanor charges of causing injury while operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol content in excess of .15 percent on his client’s behalf.
Gonzalez waived the time limits on the state’s obligation to hold a preliminary hearing and McAndrew set an Aug. 13 status conference on the felony vehicular homicide charge.
Khaleel asked McAndrew to prevent Teasdale from driving because “this is a serious offense, someone lost their life as a result of her choices.”
Gonzalez objected. He said Teasdale is presumed innocent until the case is resolved. She has been driving since the accident and needs to continue to drive as she works two jobs and is a single mother to two children, he added.
“If protecting the public was so important then the district attorney’s office should have brought this case sooner,” Gonzalez said.“They received the medical examiner’s reports in May and still took a month to file a case.”
Teasdale’s license remains valid and McAndrew said it would be “punitive” to prevent her from driving at this point in the case as this is an “isolated incident.”
“I can’t say if she’s more of a risk to the public than someone convicted of their third OWI and is allowed to drive,” he said.
McAndrew ordered that Teasdale can drive as long as she holds a valid license and ordered her not to consume any controlled substances without a prescription.
If convicted of the vehicular homicide charge, Teasdale faces maximum penalties of 25 years in prison and $100,000 fine.
Teasdale was released on a signature bond.