Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger announced today
that Shane Slater, 48, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Monroe County Circuit Court
Judge Mark Goodman for homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. After Slater’s
release from prison, he will be supervised by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for
an additional 10 years.
The conviction and sentence are in connection with a 2024 wrong-way crash on
Interstate 90 near Tomah. On September 16, 2024, at approximately 10:10 P.M., Slater
drove westbound in the eastbound lanes before he crashed head-on with a vehicle driven
by a 32-year-old man, killing the man at the crash scene. Slater’s alcohol concentration
was 0.228 g/100 mL, nearly three times the legal limit. Driving records indicated Slater was
previously convicted of three drunk driving offenses.
Monroe County Chief Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles, who handled the case
for the prosecution, praised the sentence, “We are grateful for Judge Goodman’s sentence.
It recognizes the immense loss the victim’s family deals with everyday because of Shane
Slater’s selfish choices to drink and drive. This sentence also protects our community from
Slater, a repeat drunk driver, for the next 20 years.”
This case was investigated by the Wisconsin State Patrol with on-scene assistance
from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Skiles noted, “”This sentence would not have been
possible without the work of the men and women of the Wisconsin State Patrol who all too
often witness the devastating consequences of drunk driving firsthand. Their work directly
led to our community being safer for the next two decades. They should be commended
for that.”