District Attorney: No charges to be filed regarding the crash involving Senator Bewley, killing 2

ASHLAND, WI. (Northern News Now) - The Ashland County District Attorney released a statement Thursday saying there will be no criminal charges filed for the crash involving Senator Janet Bewley resulting in the death of two people in July 2022.

Alyssa Ortman and her 5-year-old daughter died in the crash.

The crash occurred at the U.S. Highway 2 and Turner Road intersection at approximately 12:26 P.M. in Ashland on July 22, 2022.

According to District Attorney David Meany, Ortman had borrowed her father’s black Honda Civic with her 5-year-old daughter.

Ortman was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 2.

Wisconsin State Patrol conducted a forensic investigation of the electronic data stored in the Honda Civic Ortman was driving.

The data showed five seconds before the collision the Honda Civic was traveling at 94 mph.

The speed increased to 100 mph 1.5 seconds before the crash.

It remained at 100 mph until .5 seconds before the crash.

The brakes were not activated until 1 second before the collision.

Wisconsin State Patrol also viewed video of the crash from a business showing the Honda Civic traveling at a high speed at the time of the crash.

Law enforcement reports include a toxicology report of a blood sample taken from Ortman after the accident.

The report indicates she had a detectable amount of Delta 9 THC in her blood at the time of the crash.

District Attorney David Meany stated the excessive speed of Ortman’s car meant there was no reasonable way for Senator Bewley to judge the safety of pulling her car out into traffic.

According to District Attorney David Meany, Senator Bewley was driving a green Volkswagen Golf, where she had just been parked at the Blue Wave parking lot near the Maslowski Beach parking area.

Senator Bewley intended to cross the eastbound lanes of Highway 2 and turn into the westbound lane.

As she pulled out from the access driveway, the vehicles crashed.

The Senator stated to police officers she looked both ways before turning and she did not know where the Honda Civic came from.

A Wisconsin State Patrol investigation showed before pulling into traffic from the Blue Wave, the Senator was on the hands-free phone in her car.

There was no evidence that she was not on a hands-free connection or that she was distracted by speaking at the time of the crash.

Officers on scene did not report any sign or indication of impairment of the Senator.

Senator Bewley also provided a sample of her blood as well.

The tests did not show any substances that could have impaired her.

Brandon Fink, the father of the girl, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the lawmaker in Oct. 2022.

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