By SARAH PARKER | County Line Editor
Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger was found guilty in La Crosse County Circuit Court on Feb. 1 of a hit-and-run accident involving an unattended vehicle on S. K Street in Sparta on Dec. 30.
Fined $263.50, Croninger also received warnings for leaving the scene of an accident and driving with an obstructed windshield.
Though the Sparta Police Department did the preliminary investigation, Sparta Assistant Chief Booker Ferguson referred the case to the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department, citing a conflict of interest after discovering that Croninger was responsible for the accident.
Croninger called the Sparta Police Department on the morning of Dec. 31, admitting to striking the vehicle the night before, according to the incident report prepared by Captain John Siegel of the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department.
“Upon arriving (at the Sparta Police Department), Croninger told me he was embarrassed about what happened, understood he should have stopped and made contact with the owners, and understood there would be consequences for his decision,” Siegel’s report states.
Based on an interview with Croninger, Siegel’s report contains the following description of the night of the accident:
“Between 10 and 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2021, Croninger was on his way after being out with friends. He had been drinking but did not feel like he was impaired. When he got in his truck, the windshield was already frosted, so he allowed it to warm up so he could see through the centered portion; however, the sides were still obstructed.
“As he turned the corner on Jefferson Street, he struck a vehicle that was parked with the right corner of his truck. He did not see the vehicle, and he was in the turn as he struck it and continued driving.
“At that point, Croninger said he should have stopped and called in the accident. He had no excuse as to why he did not. He drove home, which was a very short distance away, and backed his vehicle into the garage. He got out, looked at the front of the truck, and did not see any damage other than a mark on the chrome part of the bumper. He went inside and went to bed.
“Croninger got up between 5-5:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2021, to get ready to go out of town for the weekend and would be kenneling his dog in Black River Falls. He went out and took a closer look at the truck from the front. There did not appear to be damage, but when he looked at the passenger side, the bumper was pushed in toward the wheel and all of the plastic was cracked and broken. There were photographs taken of the front and sides of the truck by me after the interview.
“After seeing the damage, Croninger took his dog for a walk and passed the vehicle that he struck. Since he lives very close to that intersection, it is not unusual for him to walk the dog on those streets; however, he did purposely walk that direction. He then saw the significant amount of damage to the vehicle he struck. He knew at that point he would have to contact the Sparta Police Department and he was even more embarrassed he had not done it early. He knew he had not made the right decision.
“He went home and packed to get ready for the weekend and while scrolling through his phone sometime after 8 a.m. saw a Facebook post from the victim stating their vehicle had been hit and they were looking for whoever did it.
“Croninger called Officer Joel Ames from the Sparta Police Department and stated he struck the vehicle the night before.”
♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎
The report further clarifies that when viewed straight on, Croninger’s truck did not appear to be damaged, but when going to the passenger side, significant damage to the bumper and wheel well is readily visible.
Siegel issued the hit-and-run citation to Croninger on Jan. 11.
