By Shereen Siewert
Court documents filed this week detail an early morning rollover crash that left one man dead and another man facing homicide charges.
Heith A. Gureski, 21, is jailed on a $50,000 cash bond in connection with the crash that killed his friend, 21-year-old Bryce Giles. Gureski faces charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, a charge that carries a minimum five-year prison term under recently-passed legislation in Wisconsin.
Police were called at 2:37 a.m. to the area of County Road J and Roble Lane in the town of Weston for a report of the crash. Initially, dispatchers were told there were two people traveling in the vehicle with the rollover crash happened; one person was trapped inside but the passenger was not located. Witnesses then found Giles, the passenger, pinned under the truck and non-responsive. Eight bystanders were at the scene when officers arrived.
Witnesses told police Gureski and Giles arrived at a tavern on County Road J earlier in the evening and stayed until the bar closed, then left in Gureski’s vehicle. Gureski was allegedly driving to Giles’ home when the crash happened.
Giles was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gureski was transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment but was not seriously injured, police said.
During an interview, Gureski told police he was driving about 55 mph when his wheels hit the shoulder and he left the roadway, according to court documents, but could not give a specific answer regarding how many drinks he had in the roughly five hours he was at the bar.
A chemical test of Gureski’s blood is pending.
An indigency hearing to determine whether Gureski qualifies for a public defender is set for Nov. 30 with a review hearing on Dec. 2. Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill will hear the case.
