Special prosecutor assigned to case

By Robert Cloud

A woman involved in a pedestrian traffic fatality two years ago was charged Thursday with homicide.

Kristin K. Carlson, 43, is charged with homicide by negligent use of a vehicle.

She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

At 4:06 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, 2013, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Bosquez was dispatched to County Trunk Q near its intersection with County QQ in Dayton in response to a pedestrian traffic accident.

When he arrived, Bosquez noticed the severely traumatized body of an elderly man lying in the road. He was later identified as 81-year-old Fred P. Lick and pronounced dead at the scene.

A blue Chevy Malibu with substantial damage to the front end, windshield and roof was parked on the shoulder of the eastbound lane of County Q.

Bosquez spoke to Carlson who was visibly upset, according to the criminal complaint. She had been crying and was unable to stand without support.

When Bosquez asked Carlson what had happened, she said she did not know.

“I was driving and then crash,” Carlson reportedly said. “I never saw him. He was just there.”

Bosquez reported that Lick had been returning home from his mailbox, walking southbound across County Q when he was struck by Carlson’s car.

At the time of the crash, the sun was out, the road was dry and clear of debris, and there were no visual obstructions, police say.

Carlson was transported to the hospital in Waupaca for treatment of minor injuries. A sample of her blood was also sent to the State Crime Lab.

She reportedly had a 0.05 blood-alcohol level. The legal limit is 0.08.

When questioned by Detective Sgt. Robert Karski and Sgt. Kevin Studzinski on July 3, Carlson said she was returning home from a day of boating when she hit Lick. She reportedly said she had consumed four to five beers the day of the crash.

Karski also examined Carlson’s cell phone. He determined that Carlson sent a 134-character text message at 4:02 p.m. and received a text message at 4:05 p.m.

Karski reported that Carlson called 911 about 23 seconds after receiving the text message.

Trooper Jason Schwartz, a crash reconstruction specialist with the Wisconsin State Patrol, reported that Lick’s body was propelled nearly 210 feet from where he was struck.

Schwartz found that the Malibu started braking about 85 feet after the point of impact and travelled 180 feet before coming to a complete stop.

He calculated that the vehicle was travelling 59-65 mph at the time it hit Lick. The speed limit there is 35 mph.

State Assistant Attorney General Tara Jenswold is prosecuting the case against Carlson.

This is the second time that Carlson has faced criminal charges.

In 2007, Carlson was a registered nurse on the mental health floor at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton. She reportedly diverted Demerol (meperidine) from her employer and admitted to taking over 40 syringes of meperidine for her own personal use.

Carlson was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of possession of a prescription drug by fraud, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft in July 2008. She was placed on two years of probation.

In July 2010, the Wisconsin Board of Nursing revoked Carlson’s license to work as a registered nurse.

The board reported that prior to working in Appleton, Carlson was employed at Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. In February 2006, RMC found discrepancies in Carlson’s charting and morphine-related documentation.

Carlson’s employment was suspended pending an investigation and later terminated due to failure to provide a urine specimen required for the investigation.