Wisconsin man convicted in wrong-way drunken driving crash that killed 4 siblings

By The Associated Press

Credit: Kevin.B / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 License Link

WAUPACA, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has been convicted in a wrong-way drunken driving crash that killed four siblings last year.

Scott Farmer, 48, of Neenah pleaded no contest Wednesday to four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and one count of operating while intoxicated in the Dec. 16 crash, WLUK-TV reported.

A judge set Farmer’s sentencing for Nov. 22.

Police said Farmer was driving the wrong way on a highway when his truck crashed into an SUV in Weyauwega, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee. The crash killed the SUV’s driver, Daniel Gonzalez, 25, his brother Fabian Gonzalez, 23, and their sisters, Lilian Gonzalez, 14, and Daniela Gonzalez, 9.

The four siblings were the children of Kurt Schilling, a pastor at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Waupaca, and his wife, Paulina.

“The main charges are there and I hope justice is served in the end,” Schilling said Wednesday.

Court records state that Farmer had a blood-alcohol content of .346 percent, or more than four times Wisconsin’s legal limit of .08 percent for driving in most cases. Because Farmer had previous drunken driving convictions, his legal limit was .02 percent.

The Associated Press left a telephone message Thursday seeking comment from Farmer’s attorney.