Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Tony Garvey
A driver killed in a weekend Shawano County wreck that also killed another motorist and injured three other people has been identified as a four-time convicted drunken driver.
Tony Garvey, 42, of De Pere, who was last convicted in 2013, was driving a pickup truck that police believe crossed a centerline and collided with two other vehicles near Bonduel about 10:15 p.m. Friday.
Also killed in the collision was Roger Patoka, 55, of Milwaukee, who was riding a motorcycle and was being followed by his wife and kids in another vehicle.
The wife, Paula Patoka, 53, and two children, a 16-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy, were all hospitalized with what police described as injuries that were not life-threatening.
The incident occurred as Garvey was driving south on state Highway 47 and his truck crossed into the northbound lanes just south of Old 47 Road, in an unincorporated area known as Slab City in the town of Hartland. The truck collided first with the motorcycle and then an SUV being driven by Paula Patoka.
Police said Roger Patoka was not wearing a motorcycle helmet, but that all three people in the SUV were wearing seat belts.
Shawano County sheriff’s Capt. Tom Tuma said investigators are still reconstructing the accident and have not yet determined why Garvey’s pickup truck crossed the centerline.
A blood test will determine whether Garvey was intoxicated, but Tuma noted that motorists sometimes drift out of their traffic lane because of illness, distractions or other factors.
“I’d be careful about jumping to conclusions,” he said.
Shawano County Coroner Brian Westfahl said an autopsy was conducted on Garvey, but no preliminary findings were available and it could take two or three weeks for blood test results showing whether alcohol was a factor.
Court records indicate that Garvey was convicted of his fourth drunken driving arrest in Outagamie County in May 2013. Sentenced to 14 months in prison, he was released after serving nine months. Court records also show that his driver’s license was revoked for three years — a period that would have continued until 2016.
In addition to previous drunken driving convictions, court records show that Garvey was found guilty of bail jumping, driving with a suspended license, failing to obey a traffic signal, and driving without a seat belt.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is helping Shawano County investigators to reconstruct Friday’s collision.