Driver was Huffing Before Girl Scout hit-and-run

Authorities are Recommending 13 Charges

LAKE HALLIE, Wis. – Police say the 21-year-old driver accused of striking and killing three Girl Scouts and a mother and injuring a fourth girl had been inhaling chemical vapors before the crash in northwestern Wisconsin.

Authorities are recommending 13 charges against Colten Treu, including four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. Lake Hallie police say Treu and a passenger in his pickup truck told police they had been intentionally inhaling chemical vapors, or huffing, just before the crash around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The fourth-graders from the Chippewa Falls School District were picking up trash along County Highway P as part of a community service project when they were struck.

The victims were among seven children and five adults who were working in the ditches along the roadway.