WAUSAU PILOT AND REVIEW
A 19-year-old man who was involved in a head-on crash on Hwy. 51 is facing criminal charges after blood tests taken shortly after the crash tested positive for methamphetamine, Ketamine and THC, according to a WJFW report.
Tyler Metz, 19, is facing homicide and drug possession charges filed May 14 in Vilas County Circuit Court.
The crash happened Jan. 23 on Hwy. 51 at Bakken Road in the town of Boulder Junction. Witnesses told police Metz’s Chevrolet Silverado crossed the center line before smashing into a Ford F-150 around 10:15 a.m. Road conditions were snowy and the highway was ice-covered at the time.
Timothy Boss, 59, was killed and his daughter was injured in the crash. Metz, who lives in Douglas County, suffered serious injuries to his legs, officials said.
According to the criminal complaint, medics found methamphetamine and hydrocodone pills in a cigarette box on Metz when they pulled him from the truck. The police report says Metz asked medics to throw the drugs out for him.
A Vilas County deputy later questioned Metz while he was being treated at Howard Young Medical Center. Metz told police he did indeed have hydrocondone pills from a past leg injury, but he no longer had a prescription for them. Metz said he hadn’t used meth since a day or two before the crash.
Deputies obtained a blood sample while Metz was in the hospital, based on witness statements that he may have caused the crash and Metz’s urgent need for his own medical care. He was later taken to a hospital in Wausau.
Metz, who is in the Vilas County Jail, faces charges of homicide by vehicle-use of a controlled substance, operating while intoxicated-causing injury, narcotic drug possession, and methamphetamine possession. He faces up to 33 years in prison if convicted.
