Hit-and-Run Witness Passes Polygraph Test

May 13, 1995

Vruwink: He, family have been accused of covering up role.

By MISTIQUE MACOMBER

Tribune Staff Writer

A witness in the hit-and-run accident that killed a town of Hansen girl in March has passed a polygraph test.

Jim Vruwink, also town of Hansen, took and passed a polygraph test Thursday, said Thomas Reichert, a Wood County Sheriff’s Department investigator.

“Prior to this, we had done a lot of investigation and found he was telling the truth in what he saw and did,” Reichert said.

But rumors and stories kept pointing to Vruwink in the death of Deidre Week, the investigator said.

Week, 11, died after she was struck while riding her bicycle northbound on County Trunk HH, north of Vesper. She was a short distance from home when a vehicle struck her from behind and left the scene.

Vruwink was driving southbound on Country Trunk HH and turned around, attempting to follow the vehicle, but could not get close enough to see its license plate.

He said the vehicle did not appear to be driven at an excessive speed. The speed limit on County Trunk HH is 55 mph.

Week was struck at about 6:30 p.m. (about dusk) Friday, March 24. Another witness who lives just north of the accident scene said the vehicle did not have its headlights on.

“He plays a very important part in the case, ultimately because he’s the only witness who saw the car,” Reichert said of Vruwink. “We felt its important any rumors or stories about him were cleared up.”

Vruwink, who lives on County Trunk HH, said he freely took the polygraph test.

“I wanted the public and community to know that there was no coverup, and me nor my family had anything to hide,” he said Friday afternoon.

“I was trying to help somebody out that night,” he said. “Later on, being accused of hitting this little girl, being accused of something that I never did, I’d like to tell that I had nothing to hide or cover anything up. I never refused a polygraph test at all.”

Vruwink said he and his family have been accused of covering up his role in the hit and run. “You should have evidence before you speak and accuse somebody of doing it, like the people did in this community,” he said.

“I had nothing to coverup or hide with the sheriff’s department. I think the sheriff’s department is doing one heck of a good job on this investigation.”

Test results of polygraphs are not public, Reichert said, but Vruwink granted his permission to release the results.

“We’re still checking with other leads,” said Reichert, noting the department received a couple leads in the case this week: “They’ve certainly slowed down, but they haven’t dried up.”

Read the polygraph results here.