Loyal man charged with hit-and-run
Aug. 1—CHIPPEWA FALLS — A Loyal man has been charged with hit-and-run stemming from an incident May 28 in the town of Edson.
Michael R. Waldhauser, 64, was charged in Chippewa County Court with two counts of hit-and-run, involving injury. Waldhauser will appear in court Tuesday before Judge Steve Gibbs.
According to the criminal complaint, there was a crash on eastbound Highway 29 at 2:30 p.m. May 28, just west of the the Boyd exit. As traffic began moving into the left lane to pass the crash, there was a second collision, and the driver of a Chevrolet pickup fled the scene. The people who were in the vehicle struck by Waldhauser's truck were able to write down his license plate number and provide it to authorities.
Officers went to Waldhauser's home in Loyal on May 29 and located the silver Chevrolet pickup. However, Waldhauser claimed he wasn't driving on Highway 29 that day, and he was the only one using the truck. He said he had went to Colby, Abbotsford, and Medford.
The officer examined his truck and initially didn't see damage, but later found damage marks that matched the vehicle from the crash scene.
Waldhauser claimed he went to a Kwik Trip gas station in Marshfield. The officer obtained video surveillance footage from the store and the video did not contain any footage of Waldhauser or his truck.
The victims in the crash reported they had sore necks and backs, with one seeking medical help the night of the crash.
