Reedsburg Man Sentenced for Crash that Killed 13 Year Old Girl

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced Kevin Green, 19, of Reedsburg, Wis. has been sentenced after pleading guilty to Homicide by Negligent Operation of a Vehicle for driving the vehicle that struck and killed a 13-year-old child as she boarded a school bus on May 12, 2023. Green has been sentenced to four years of probation with conditions to include 3 months conditional jail with Huber, 200 hours of community service with a minimum of 50 hours per year, 8 community presentations to high-school-aged children about the dangers of distracted driving, with a minimum of two presentations per year, no contact with the victims unless authorized by both the victims and the probation agent, 12-month license revocation, no driving without a valid license, restitution, court costs of $518, and a DNA sample.

"This is an extraordinarily tragic case," said Attorney General Josh Kaul. "Thank you to everyone who saw this heartbreaking case through the justice system."

As stated in the complaint, the defendant was driving a Ford F-150 truck behind a school bus just before 7:30 am when he failed to notice it had stopped in front of him to pick up children. According to the complaint he was traveling at about 63 miles per hour when he swerved toward the ditch, striking the rear right side of the school bus before hitting the child, who was standing in her driveway. The child died as a result of her injuries.

The complaint states that Green was texting while driving at and before the time of the crash.

The Sauk County Sheriff's Department led the investigation. Assistant Attorneys General Tara Jenswold and Emily Thompson of the Criminal Litigation Unit of the Wisconsin DOJ Division of Legal Services handled the prosecution, and victim services were provided by Anne Kessenich of DOJ's Office of Crime Victim Services.