DENMARK (NBC 26) — A 67-year-old Pound woman is facing felony charges after investigators say she drove the wrong way on a highway ramp Thanksgiving evening, causing a head-on crash that killed one person and seriously hurt two others.
Cheryl Mitchell appeared in a Brown County courtroom on Monday. Her bond was set at $150,000 cash.
According to a criminal complaint, deputies responding to I-43 near the State Highway 96 ramp around 5 p.m. on Nov. 27 found a minivan and SUV with severe front-end damage. The SUV driver — identified as Mitchell — allegedly showed signs of intoxication, smelled strongly of alcohol, and admitted to drinking wine before driving.
Witnesses told deputies Mitchell’s SUV was traveling north in the southbound lanes when it hit the van head-on. One man in the vehicle later died from his injuries on Nov. 29. Two others suffered significant injuries. The man who died was the adult son of other two passengers in the car, according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors say Mitchell’s blood was drawn under a search warrant after she refused voluntary testing. Records show she had a prior OWI conviction from 1989.
Mitchell now faces:
- Homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle with prior conviction (Class C felony, up to 40 years in prison)
- Two counts of injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle (Class F felonies, each up to 12 years, 6 months in prison)
Court documents indicate Mitchell’s driving privileges would be revoked if convicted.
She remains charged in Brown County Circuit Court.
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This story initially indicated that the father in the car died. That is incorrect. NBC 26 regrets the error.
