Man charged in fatal April accident

Daniel Hess, 38, is charged with Homicide by Intoxicated Use of Vehicle, CCAP records show that he appeared today October 18 in Racine Felony Court. Records show that he is currently being held on $50,000.

The criminal complaint said Hess was traveling April 2,2012 east on Six Mile Road in a Mitsubishi Gallant when he crossed the center line and struck a black 2006 Pontiac Torrent. The accident happened at Six Mile and Foley Road. The cars sideswiped each other, and Hess’ vehicle then struck Schluechterman’s 1996 Ford Windstar head-on, the charges state. Police said the crash, killed 42-year-old Michelle Schluechtermann of Caledonia.

According to the complaint, Hess said he did not know how his vehicle had gone over the center line. The complaint said he told officers he had taken a prescribed amount of Percocet earlier in the morning before leaving his third-shift job.

Toxicology results from the state crime lab showed that Hess had more than twice the generally prescribed level of Percocet in his system at the time of the crash. Results also indicated a single-dosage level of methadone in his system. A state crime lab analyst told police that the oxycodone and methadone levels were high enough to render Hess impaired at the time of the crash. Percocet contains oxycodone and acetaminophen.

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