By Eileen Persike
Editor

A Lake Geneva man entered a no contest plea Friday in Oneida County Circuit Court to a charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. According to a criminal complaint, Eric Labahn, 22, was behind the wheel when his vehicle left the road and hit a tree, killing his passenger, Austin Lockwood, 23. The accident happened on Military Road in Three Lakes in June 2018.

A charge of homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited blood alcohol content of .11 and three traffic misdemeanors were dismissed.

A Three Lakes police officer who responded to a 911 call approximately 1:40 a.m. June 10, 2018, stated in his report that when he arrived on the scene he could see that Labahn, who was standing near his vehicle, was injured, and then determined that the passenger was deceased. Labahn reportedly told the officer he and Lockwood had “some” to drink, and were at a nearby bar for about 20 minutes, and that he swerved to miss a deer. The officer stated he could smell the odor of alcohol when he spoke to Labahn.

The officer noted in the criminal complaint that Lockwood was pinned in the passenger seat of the vehicle “because the vehicle had hit the tree with such force that it crushed the entire dash and door onto Lockwood,” and that it was “impossible to open the passenger side door and the door was almost half way into the center of the vehicle.”

Labahn was transported by ambulance to the Eagle River Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Labahn reportedly refused a blood test, but a search warrant for the test was obtained and his blood was drawn and Labahn was arrested.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered. Labahn will be sentenced Oct. 10 and faces imprisonment up to 25 years, a $100,000 fine or both.