The Wisconsin man who struck a Girl Scout troop while they were picking up trash on the side of a road, killing three children and a parent and injuring a fourth girl, admitted that he was inhaling chemical vapors before the crash, police said Monday.
Colten Treu, 21, is being held at the Chippewa County Jail on four counts of homicide by negligent use of a motor vehicle, five counts of hit and run and four counts of homicide while intoxicated, Lake Hallie Police Chief Cal D. Smokowicz said.
Treu made his first court appeared Monday via video and had his bond set at $250,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. Prosecutors said Treu was involved in a similar incident in September when his vehicle rolled over while he was under the influence of drugs.
Treu was arrested Saturday afternoon after police said he ran into the Girl Scouts around 11:40 a.m. while they were doing community service on County Highway P in Lake Hallie, a village in Chippewa County northeast of Eau Claire.
Seven children and five adults, all wearing green safety vests, were in a ditch on the side of the road picking up trash, police said.
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