RHINELANDER -- Even the courts are not immune to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as the sentencing hearing for Jeffrey M. Liebscher has been reset for 9 a.m. July 30 due to concerns that the hearing would draw a large number of spectators.
The 54-year-old Sugar Camp man, who pled guilty Feb. 14 to a single felony charge of hit and run resulting in death, was to have appeared Monday, April 20 before Judge Patrick O’Melia in Oneida County Circuit Court. The Class D felony charge carries a maximum sentence of a $100,000 fine and 25 years in prison.
Liebscher was charged with causing the death of 23-year-old Sean J. Holtslander. Investigators from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department said Liebscher turned the truck he was driving into the path of Holtslander’s motorcycle at about 10:15 p.m. Aug. 28 of last year on State Highway 17 North. Liebscher then allegedly fled the scene without notifying authorities until many hours later, the criminal complaint says.
At that Feb. 14 plea hearing the judge dismissed a Class G felony charge of homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle following a plea agreement.
Postponement follows Supreme Court order
The sentencing hearing would undoubtedly have resulted in a packed courtroom, drawing family members and friends from both Liebscher and Holtslander. Gov. Tony Ever’s directive that prohibits public gatherings of 10 people or more exempts courts. However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court stepped in March 22 to order that “all non-essential hearings are to be postponed or conducted remotely. “
he Supreme Court has determined that, in light of the existing public health emergency and to protect the health of the public and the individuals who work for the courts of this state, it is necessary to limit temporarily the number of individuals who are physically present within the courts of this state and to temporarily modify certain procedures to ensure that the essential operations of the courts continue in an appropriate manner during the present public health emergency. “This order is intended to be interpreted broadly for protection of the public, court staff and judges from the risks associated with COVID-19. “(All) in-person proceedings in all appellate and circuit courts are hereby suspended through Thursday, April 30, 2020.
This suspension may be extended or modified by court order as circumstances may warrant. All judges, court commissioners and court clerks are required to utilize available technologies – including e-mail, teleconferencing, and video conferencing in lieu of in-person courtroom appearances.”
Traci Running, chief deputy clerk of courts for Oneida County, said her office does not reschedule the hearings, explaining it’s at the discretion of the judge, especially when the district attorney’s office and the defendant’s lawyer agree to delay the proceeding.
People who wish to observe such hearings through Zoom or other Internet access should contact the respective judge’s office (Oneida has two) for particulars, she said.
