Tribe suffers losses in fatal wreck

Members of the Menominee Indian Tribe are recovering from the loss of two tribal members who were killed in a traffic accident earlier this week on the Menominee reservation.

Tribal police identified the victims as Derrick “Jammer” Perez, 55, and Eugene “BB” Wescott, 56, who died Monday night when their vehicles slammed into each other nearly head-on.

Injured in the crash were two passengers, Forrest Perez, 30, who was riding in his father’s vehicle, and Scott Reiter, 40, a friend who was riding with Wescott. Both passengers were hospitalized, although no information was available about their conditions.

Police said the incident occurred about 7 p.m. Monday when an ATV that Wescott was driving eastbound on County Road M collided with a pickup truck being driven by Perez. The truck was in the westbound lanes, but police believe it might have been sitting still at the moment of impact.

An investigation into the incident remains underway.

Both Derrick Perez and Eugene Wescott were well-known and well-liked among their fellow Menominee tribal members, who were stunned to have lost both men in one tragic moment.

“It’s a huge loss for the community — two good people,” said Jeremy Weso, highway commissioner for Menominee County. Weso was Perez’s cousin, and he knew Wescott through work.

Wescott worked at Menominee Tribal Enterprises and was involved with the county in helping to maintain road conditions on the reservation. Weso said the veteran road maintenance worker had a deep understanding of the tribe’s infrastructure needs.

“That loss is going to be irreplaceable,” he said.

Perez, whose nickname came from past work as a music DJ at parties and other events, also worked at Menominee Tribal Enterprises, according to his Facebook page.

Cat Dove, another tribal member, said she knew both Perez and Wescott from meeting them socially and also from working with their children in the past at the Menominee Casino Resort.

Dove said both men were funny and friendly, adding that they probably knew each other at some point on the reservation.

“It’s such a close-knit community,” she said. “They were both well-known for their good qualities — really just good guys.”

Funeral arrangements for Perez are being handled by Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano, while arrangements for Wescott are being handled by Gruetzmacher Funeral Home in Suring.