Wisconsin Rapids Man Facing Homicide Charges for Portage County Crash

Tuesday, January 6th, 2026 -- 11:00 AM

(Karen Madden, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune) An 18-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man is facing a homicide charge for a July 5 Portage County crash that killed his friend.

According to Karen Madden with the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Leeland D. Zuege faces a charge of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle for the crash that killed Stephan Hill, 18, of Wisconsin Rapids. Zuege is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Portage County Circuit Court on Jan.12.

According to the criminal complaint, at about 1:04 a.m. July 5, deputies and emergency medical services responded to a report of a one-vehicle rollover near the intersection of Evergreen Avenue and 110th Street in the Portage County town of Grant.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Zuege laying on his back partially out of the passenger-side window, according to the complaint. His left arm was pinned underneath the vehicle. He responded to the officer's touch and could answer simple questions.

Zuege was transported by helicopter to Marshfield Medical Center. Hill was laying half inside the vehicle and half out of a sunroof, with the vehicle on top of him, according to the complaint. Hill died at the scene.

Neither Hill nor Zuege were wearing seatbelts, according to the complaint. Officers investigating the crash saw fresh tire tracks on Evergreen Avenue. The vehicle had been going east on Evergreen Avenue before the crash and had been fishtailing back and forth across the road, according to the complaint.

The fishtailing tracks were seen going in both directions on Evergreen Avenue and indicated continuous reckless driving behavior, according to the complaint. Two witnesses who were in the backseat and were wearing their seatbelts were not injured.

They told officers Zuege and Hill were taking turns driving, going about 60 mph and fishtailing back and forth. At the time of the crash, the witnesses said Zuege was driving and going about 40 mph, according to the complaint.

A bottle of margarita mix was found near the crash, according to the complaint. The witnesses said Hill had been drinking alcohol but Zuege had not been drinking, according to the complaint.

Officers checked Zuege's phone and saw he and Hill talked about what they would do the night of the crash, and Hill suggested they could go "drifting" on back roads where they wouldn't encounter officers, according to the complaint.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.