County Has Not Given Up on Unsolved Accident

March 23, 1996

By SARAH FUELLEMAN

Marshfield News-Herald

One year after the death of 11-year-old Deidre Week from a hit and run driver, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department investigation is “progressing,” but not solved, said Lt. Bob Levendoske.

“We occasionally get information from the public,” Levendoske continued. “But new angles, and new directions are coming from the investigation.”

The town of Hansen girl was struck from behind while she was riding her bicycle near her home on County Trunk HH in the town of Hansen.

The car that struck her was a dark colored, probably General Motors car, Levendoske said.

“It may have been red, it may have been gray,” he said. “But it was dark.” Although the investigation is focusing on a car of this type, we’re not eliminating other vehicles.”

The Department had originally suspected that the driver of the car was from the area, or had a reason to be in the area, he said. The road is not generally traveled by people who are not local.

“We’re still playing the odds (that it was a local person), yes,” Levendoske said. “But we’re not discounting that it was somebody else.”

The Sheriff Department received help in the investigation from the state Department of Criminal Investigation in August. The Week family requested that the state step in because of questions surrounding the investigation by the Sheriff’s Department,

The Weeks were concerned that the only witness to the accident, Jim Vruwink, who also lives on County Trunk HH, was not telling the complete story.

It was Vruwink who reportedly chased the vehicle that struck Deidre. His call and David Week’s call reached the 911 system at almost the same instant, Levendoske said.

Vruwink said there were two people in the car, probably males.

Levendoske said the second person may have been a headrest, but he is hopeful it was a person. That should make the case easier to solve.

Vruwink came under fire from the Week family because of a “perceived relationship” between Shriff Brian Illingworth and Vruwink. Vruwink’s brother worked on Illingworth’s 1988 campaign for sheriff.

Levendoske said Vruwink was checked out the night of the accident, as were the card he was driving, Vruwink also took a polygraph test that indicated he was telling the truth.

The state investigator has vindicated the quality of the investigation done by Wood County, Levendoske said. And his help serves two purposes.

“First, he has done a tremendous amount of work on the case,” Levendoske said. “In essence, that gives us an extra man to work on the investigation.

“Second, hopefully, it gives credibility to our investigation, because the family alleged a coverup and incompetence on our part.”

There is a seven-year statute of limitations on the case, Levendoske said. But he is confident the case will be solved.

“The axiom is that the longer it is, the harder it is to solve it,” he said. “But we’re only one good tip away from being able to solve it.”

Most of the evidence that was lost over time since the accident, was lost in the first two days, he continued.

At this point, the Department does not have any official “short list” of suspects, Levendoske said.

“Everybody is a suspect,” he said. “Until we make an arrest.”