DARLINGTON - An Argyle woman faces a felony charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle stemming from a head-on crash last August that killed a 72-year-old man.
Mary E. Bernet, 35, stood mute on the charge at her arraignment March 23 in Lafayette County Circuit Court. The Class D felony carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and 10 years on extended supervision. Her next court appearance is a June 27 status conference.
Patrick B. Calhoun, 72, rural Dodgeville, died at the scene of the Aug. 26 crash on Wisconsin 78, town of Argyle. He was a dairy farmer and Army veteran and is survived by his wife, Carol, as well as a brother, two daughters and three grandchildren, according to his obituary.
Court records indicate Bernet had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 percent after the crash, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin. Police reported finding Keystone beer in the road and more beer in Bernet's 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup truck, including a still-cold 12-pack of 16 oz. cans with eight left in the pack.
An investigation found Bernet crossed the center line at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the driver's side of an oncoming 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Her pickup truck spun around and ended up in the southbound lane, while the Chevy spun into the ditch and struck an embankment before coming to rest on its passenger side.
Calhoun, the driver of the Chevy, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lafayette County Coroner's Office. Bernet and her passenger and husband, Aaron C. Bernet, 38, also of Argyle, were taken by ambulance to a hospital.
According to court records, Aaron told police that he and Mary had been drinking at their house before the accident. He said he'd had about five or six beers. She told police she'd had two or three beers. Both face traffic citations for having open intoxicants in a motor vehicle.
She signed a $25,000 signature bond in December in the felony case, with conditions that she not possess or consume alcohol or go into bars or liquor stores. She was also ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim's wife or his family.
State court records show no criminal history for Bernet. A misdemeanor worthless checks case against her in 2010 was downgraded to a noncriminal citation.
Mary E. Bernet, 35, stood mute on the charge at her arraignment March 23 in Lafayette County Circuit Court. The Class D felony carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and 10 years on extended supervision. Her next court appearance is a June 27 status conference.
Patrick B. Calhoun, 72, rural Dodgeville, died at the scene of the Aug. 26 crash on Wisconsin 78, town of Argyle. He was a dairy farmer and Army veteran and is survived by his wife, Carol, as well as a brother, two daughters and three grandchildren, according to his obituary.
Court records indicate Bernet had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 percent after the crash, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin. Police reported finding Keystone beer in the road and more beer in Bernet's 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup truck, including a still-cold 12-pack of 16 oz. cans with eight left in the pack.
An investigation found Bernet crossed the center line at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the driver's side of an oncoming 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Her pickup truck spun around and ended up in the southbound lane, while the Chevy spun into the ditch and struck an embankment before coming to rest on its passenger side.
Calhoun, the driver of the Chevy, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lafayette County Coroner's Office. Bernet and her passenger and husband, Aaron C. Bernet, 38, also of Argyle, were taken by ambulance to a hospital.
According to court records, Aaron told police that he and Mary had been drinking at their house before the accident. He said he'd had about five or six beers. She told police she'd had two or three beers. Both face traffic citations for having open intoxicants in a motor vehicle.
She signed a $25,000 signature bond in December in the felony case, with conditions that she not possess or consume alcohol or go into bars or liquor stores. She was also ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim's wife or his family.
State court records show no criminal history for Bernet. A misdemeanor worthless checks case against her in 2010 was downgraded to a noncriminal citation.