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Merrill Man Charged with the Death of a Town of Marshfield Man

Monday, May 1st, 2023 -- 1:00 PM

(Karen Madden, Marshfield News-Herald) A 30-year-old Merrill man was charged Wednesday in Wood County Circuit Court in the 2020 death of a town of Marshfield man.

According to Karen Madden with the Marshfield News Herald, Logan A. Wilke is accused of driving a vehicle negligently, killing John Zinthefer, 91. Wilke is scheduled to make his initial appearance on the case July 31.

According to the criminal complaint, a caller reported a traffic crash involving a pedestrian on Wood County Y the morning of March 30, 2020. Wilke was the driver of a pickup that had hit Zinthefer.

Wilke told deputies he came over the crest of a hill and hit Zinthefer, who was in the traffic lane, according to the complaint. Wilke said Zinthefer was between the centerline and fog line, but closer to the fog line.

Wilke said he tried to brake and swerve to avoid hitting Zinthefer, but there was nothing he could do. A deputy at the scene of the crash said he did not see any brake marks and there was a fluid trail from the pickup that showed it had been traveling in its lane, and there was no sign of the pickup swerving, according to the complaint. A deputy talked to Zinthefer's wife, who said he had gone out to get the mail, according to the complaint.

A Marshfield police detective analyzed Wilke's cellphone and found that Wilke started playing a YouTube video at 10:12 a.m. GPS coordinates the detective got from the phone show it was at the scene of the crash about 22 seconds after the video started playing, according to the complaint.

The call came into the 911 communications center at 10:14 a.m., according to police reports at the time the crash occurred. The Wisconsin State Patrol did an analysis of the crash and found the pickup hit Zinthefer near the fog line and his mailbox, according to the complaint.

The analysis also states Wilke would have had the time and distance to safely brake, stop and avoid hitting Zinthefer. Wood County Sheriff's Department Lt. Scott Goldberg said the delay in charging was because officials were waiting for the Wisconsin State Patrol to finish its accident reconstruction report.

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