Casey Yiannackopoulos makes initial court appearance
MUSKEGO, Wis. - Waukesha County prosecutors accuse a man of causing a Muskego crash that killed his 77-year-old mother, fleeing the scene and obstructing officers' attempts to take him into custody on Sunday.
In Court:
Casey Yiannackopoulos, 47, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, hit-and-run resulting in death, obstructing an officer and resisting an officer.
Yiannackopoulos made his initial court appearance on Nov. 4. Court records show his cash bond was set at $750,000.
Muskego crash | Nov. 2
The backstory:
Muskego police were called to the scene on Hillendale Drive at around 7:15 p.m. Officers arrived and found a black Buick crashed in a ditch, resting on its passenger side, with significant damage. Court filings said Yiannackopoulos was the registered owner.
The victim, identified as a 77-year-old woman, was still trapped in the front passenger seat. The fire department extricated her from the car, and she died at a hospital later that night.
Crash scene on Hillendale Drive (Courtesy: Muskego Police Department)
What they're saying:
According to a criminal complaint, police interviewed people who witnessed the crash and/or saw the driver run off. Multiple witnesses "independently described" the driver's behavior as "being indicative of possible intoxication."
Police obtained home security camera footage that court filings said showed the Buick traveling "at a high rate of speed" before it left the roadway and crashed into the ditch. The posted speed limit is 30 mph, and investigators determined based on witness statements and the footage that the car was driving "at least 50 mph" when it crashed.
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Driver arrested
Dig deeper:
Police went to the home where the Buick had pulled out of and saw a gray Honda parked in the driveway. Court filings said the car was registered in the crash victim's name.
When police knocked on the home's front door and looked through a window, the complaint said a sergeant saw a man "matching the description provided by witnesses crawling on the floor of the kitchen." Another resident gave police consent to enter and search the home.
Casey Yiannackopoulos makes initial court appearance
Prosecutors said they found a ladder leading to a crawl space where they believed the man, later identified as Yiannackopoulos, was hiding. Police said he "disregarded numerous commands" to come down, and a K-9 and pepper spray were unsuccessful.
An interior drone was brought in and found Yiannackopoulos hiding under blankets and a plastic bin cover, according to the complaint. He ultimately came out, but was "argumentative and cursing at officers" throughout the process and had to be physically removed.
While officers tried to put him in handcuffs, court filings said Yiannackopoulos refused to comply and tucked his arms under his body. Police used a taser and told a K-9 to bite him before he complied, and an officer found a Buick key fob in his pocket.
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Officers noted a "strong odor of intoxicants" coming from Yiannackopoulos's breath, the complaint states, but did not find any recently opened or empty alcohol containers. He appeared "unsteady on his feet," and his eyes were "bloodshot and glassy."
While on the way to a hospital, prosecutors said Yiannackopoulos made comments like "it was an accident" and said he would have been "way more cooperative" if officers had told them the victim had died.
Once at the hospital, court filings said Yiannackopoulos refused to participate in any standardized field sobriety tests. Police obtained a warrant and obtained a blood sample, the results of which were not disclosed at this time.
Editor's note: This story was updated with a correction and new picture.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed information from the Muskego Police Department, Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.