Wisconsin Rapids Man Enters Plea for Fatal Hit-and-Run

Monday, June 24th, 2024 -- 1:00 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wisconsin Rapids man accused of hitting 63-year-old Herbert Wievel as he was out for a walk has pled no contest to a pair of felony counts.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Kenneth Butler was in court on Friday where he changed his plea from not guilty as part of a deal with the state. The plea covers counts for hit-and-run causing death and homicide by negligent use of a vehicle.

Investigators say he hit Wievel near the intersection of West River Drive and County Road HH, then continued on his way. Wievel’s body was found in the ditch sometime later, and he was rushed to a local hospital and then airlifted to Wausau where he died on March 7th.

The Wisconsin Rapids native told investigators he may have been looking at his phone’s GPS at the time of the crash, and he thought he had hit a turkey. He also said he did stop to check the damage on his vehicle, but it’s not clear when that happened.

Butler will be sentenced on September 4th. Friday’s hearing was originally scheduled as a combined plea and sentencing date, but those were separated at the last minute. He faces a maximum of 35 years in prison and thousands in fines.

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