Local man guilty of homicide by drunken driving
William Hampton
By Ted Pennekamp
A former Prairie du Chien man was found guilty Friday in Crawford County Circuit Court of homicide by the intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and homicide by the use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration.
The 10-man, two-woman jury deliberated about 75 minutes before convicting William E. Hampton, 55, who now lives in Lancaster. The two charges were merged by Crawford County Circuit Court Judge Lynn Rider into one charge of homicide by the intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.
A pre-sentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 7.
Hampton faces up to 25 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and his driving privileges revoked for five years.
Hampton’s wife, Renee Hampton, 52, died on March 25, 2016. The crash occurred on March 17, 2016. According to the criminal complaint, Hampton was eastbound on Highway 18 near Ward Road in the town of Bridgeport at 6:25 p.m. when the vehicle he was driving spun, crossed the center line and went into the westbound lane backward where it struck another vehicle.
Along with the eventual fatal injuries sustained by Renee Hampton, serious injuries were sustained by her husband, William Hampton, as well as the driver of the other vehicle and two passengers.
Michael Larson, a toxicologist with the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, testified that William Hampton’s blood alcohol concentration was between 0.24 and 0.26 percent. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.
On the first day of the three-day trial, several Prairie du Chien bartenders testified, and it was determined that Hampton had at least seven mixed drinks within about five hours before the St. Patrick’s Day crash.
Hampton testified that his vehicle was clipped by a passing vehicle, which caused his vehicle to spin out of control.
