Aaron Renel, the Cecil man who drove an Army surplus truck on state Highway 29 and stood off with law enforcement to the point where snowplows had to be used to apprehend him, has a report claiming he’s not guilty by reason of mental illness (NGI).
Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge William Kussel Jr. formally accepted the report and plea March 21 during a status conference, setting in motion a path to help Renel, 42, get the treatment he needs and become a member of society again.
By accepting the NGI plea, the next step is a medical exam that must take place through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to see what steps need to be taken, as required by Wisconsin Statute 971.17. The normal period for the medical exam is 15 days, but both defense attorney Eric Pangburn and District Attorney Greg Parker noted a backlog would make it likely that it would be 30 days or more before the exam was done and the report made available to the court. To that end, Kussel scheduled a status conference for 9 a.m. May 6 in Branch I of the Shawano County Courthouse.
Parker added that Lutheran Social Services would also assist during the period.
“They assist with this type of background in this situation after an NGI is accepted,” Parker said.
While Renel pleaded NGI on the felony counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing/eluding officers, the earlier report did not find him mentally ill on the misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer or bail jumping. For now, the infractions will remain until the two sides can decide whether those counts will require sentencing or simply be read into the record once the felony counts are resolved.
According to the criminal complaint, the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department responded around 5:15 p.m. 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 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 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 the 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 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 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 drove into the median and a deputy operating a snowplow was able to pin the truck into the median, immobilizing it. Renel 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.
During his initial appearance May 9, 2022, 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.
Renel has been free on a $10,000 cash bond since November 2022, and one of the conditions set was not operating a motor vehicle. Pangburn had previously asked for Renel’s driving privileges to be restored but was denied. He renewed his request at the March 21 hearing, noting that Renel is having increasing difficulty finding people to transport him for his court dates.
Parker objected to the request, noting it was the first he’d heard of it.
“My argument would be the same as last time, that he was driving … an Army surplus truck, and it took the sheriff’s department to come up with the idea of using a snowplow to ram him off the road because they had no other way of stopping him,” Parker said.
Kussel noted that he would take up the matter at the May 6 hearing, but he told Parker and Pangburn that there needs to be new evidence showing Renel can be trusted to drive.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
Medical exam ordered for Renel after NGI plea
