By Shereen Siewert
The 27-year-old Wisconsin man with two prior drunken driving convictions will be sentenced in April on homicide charges in connection with the death of bicyclist he struck and killed while under the influence of alcohol.
Zachary Koosmann was convicted last month of homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration, according to the Wood County Clerk of Courts. He will be sentenced in April.
Prosecutors say Koosmann had alcohol in his system when he crashed his pickup into a bicycle driven by 43-year-old Melissa Piesik. The crash happened on Aug. 4, 2019 on Whitrock Avenue in Grand Rapids.
Piesik, a Marshfield native living in Grand Rapids, was a teacher at Bannach Elementary School in Stevens Point. She did not survive her injuries.
A probable cause statement shows Koosmann admitted he was the driver who hit Piesik and and said he tried to give her medical aid. He also admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages that day, police said.
A preliminary breath test showed Koosmann was driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.19 percent, according to police. A blood test taken shortly after the crash showed the level was at 0.222 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
His two prior OWI arrests were in 2016.
Koosmann faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced April 9 in Wood County Circuit Court.
