Wis. Judge Orders $715,000 Restitution from Man Who Caused Crash
A Sussex man convicted of injuring a 59-year-old woman in a drunken vehicle crash was ordered to pay more than $715,000 in restitution.
Jeffrey D. Thieme Jr., 27, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded no contest to a felony charge of causing injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle.
A Washington County Circuit Court judge on Thursday, January 10th ordered him to pay $715,279 to the victim, Colleen De Cristofaro of Colgate, and her insurance company.
Over $500,000 of the total is to reimburse De Cristofaro's insurance carrier for medical costs and the rest is to reimburse her for projected lost income, said Thieme
Although the figure is nearly three-quarters of a million dollars, Judge Patrick Faragher concluded that Thieme was capable of paying the full amount. According to online court records, Thieme's earning capacity was expected to be $18.42 per hour, or about $37,000 a year, upon his release.
"Court finds that the defendant has the future earning capacity and ability to pay the full amount of restitution as determined,'' the online court summary said.
Faragher also ruled that Thieme's debt must first be paid to De Cristofaro and then to the insurance company.
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