Aaron Renel was originally scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 16 for his role in a standoff on state Highway 29 in a military vehicle, but a conflicting report required justice to be pushed back another month.
Renel, 42, of Cecil, pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness June 21 to felony counts of fleeing and eluding an officer in a vehicle and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, along with a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer. Because of the mental illness plea, an evaluation is required to determine Renel’s mental state.
The evaluation concluded that he was mentally ill when it came to the felony crimes but not so on the misdemeanors.
“We find ourselves in a strange situation,” said defense attorney Eric Pangburn. “I’ve been trying to work with DA (Greg) Parker to see what we want to do about this, but I have not received an amended offer.”
Pangburn felt it would take at least 30 days to resolve the matter, so a new plea hearing was scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Feb. 20 in Branch I of the Shawano County Courthouse.
Pangburn also made a request to restore Renel’s driving privileges, citing the difficulty in the last three years getting rides to court hearings. Renel currently has a valid driver’s license, but his bond conditions do not allow him to drive.
A motion hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 23.
According to the criminal complaint, the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department responded around 5:15 p.m. on May 8, 2022, to reports of a heavy truck-type military vehicle on state Highway 29 in western Shawano County traveling down the roadway with a flat tire, thus causing a traffic hazard.
Deputies located and attempted to stop the vehicle, which the complaint says Renel was driving, but he allegedly led them on a short chase, coming to a stop in about a half-mile on the eastbound lane median of Highway 29 near County Road G in the Town of Seneca. The eastbound highway was shut down during the incident.
Renel allegedly would not cooperate and would not exit the vehicle. Because of comments allegedly made by Renel and the conditions of this incident, the Shawano County Special Response Team responded to this scene, according to the complaint. Deputies, including trained negotiators, communicated with Renel for about four hours; during this time, arrangements were made with the Shawano County Highway Department for the use of snowplows in case the driver tried to flee the scene.
About 9:30 p.m. Renel allegedly did just that, heading eastbound on Highway 29. Deputies tried to stop the suspect vehicle, using the snowplows in an attempt to perform a moving roadblock. The vehicle then crossed the median and began heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of the highway, according to the complaint.
Renel allegedly came back to the eastbound lanes but then again crossed the median and was driving the wrong way down the highway. At one point, Renel allegedly drove into the median and a deputy operating a snowplow was able to pin the truck into the median, immobilizing it. Renel allegedly would not exit his vehicle and had to be removed with force. No serious injuries were reported to any law enforcement or the suspect, according to the complaint.
Renel is currently free on a $10,000 cash bond.
During his initial appearance May 9, 2022, Shawano County Circuit Court Judge William Kussel ordered a competency evaluation. According to court records, Renel refused to appear for court for a status conference Aug. 31, 2022, when the evaluation showed he was not competent to stand trial at that time.
A second competency evaluation was requested in October 2022 by the public defenders’ office, and that evaluation showed Renel was not competent but could be restored to competency. A hearing in February 2023 confirmed he was competent to proceed in his own defense.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
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