MEDFORD, WI (WSAU) — Sheriff’s Officials in Taylor County have arrested a 28-year-old Curtiss man in connection with the death of a pedestrian along a county road.
Sheriff Larry Woebbeking says Paul J. Schmeiser is being charged with hit-and-run, including failure to perform duty upon striking a person after investigators say he hit 27-year-old Titus Kottke. Schmeiser will be in court today, and officers say he is cooperating with the investigation.
Kottke, of Athens, was struck by a vehicle as he was walking near the intersection of Hamm Drive and Elm Avenue. Investigators did confirm that he had visited several bars in Medford before leaving on foot. He was last seen alive at about 3:30 AM, approximately one mile from where his body was found.
Investigators say they spent the last few weeks conducting interviews to account for Kottke’s whereabouts and movement in the hours leading up to his death. Throughout the investigation, several suspects emerged and warrants were executed.
An autopsy showed that his injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
