Woman convicted in two OWI deaths released on bond

MERRILL – Less than a month after she was convicted by a jury of driving drunk in a high-speed crash that killed two friends, a 26-year-old Merrill woman is free on bond as she awaits an August sentencing.

Ashley Baumann was released Thursday from the Lincoln County Jail in Merrill after posting a $10,000 cash bond, court records show. On May 13, Baumann was convicted in Lincoln County Circuit Court on two counts of homicide by drunken driving and one count each of causing injury by drunken driving and reckless driving causing great bodily harm.

Baumann was taken into custody shortly after the verdict was read and was ordered held without bond.

But Wright Laufenberg, her defense attorney, asked Lincoln County Circuit Judge Jay Tlusty to release Baumann on bond until her sentencing date; Tlusty granted the release at a hearing Thursday morning.

Two counts of homicide by driving with a prohibited alcohol content and one count of causing injury by driving with a prohibited alcohol content were dismissed after the verdict was read, but Tlusty will consider the charges when determining an appropriate sentence for Baumann. Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Tara Jenswold, the lead prosecutor in the case, said she does not yet know how much prison time she will ask Tlusty to impose.

A presentencing investigation, which will delve into Baumann’s prior criminal history, educational background, employment history and other significant details about her life, is underway.

Jessica Hartwig, 33, and Misty Glisch, 31, both of Merrill, were killed in the June 7, 2012, crash. Hartwig’s sister, Jerrica Woller, 30, of Merrill was seriously injured. Prosecutors said Baumann, who also was seriously injured in the crash, was driving at speeds nearing 90 mph in the moments before her car left the roadway and rolled over multiple times in the 700 block of South Alexander Street in Merrill. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 25 mph.

Baumann did not take the stand during her seven-day trial but told police she could not remember who was driving when the car crashed, according to court testimony.

A toxicology report from the state crime lab showed Baumann had a 0.157 percent blood alcohol content more than five hours after the crash — nearly twice the 0.08 percent legal limit for driving in Wisconsin.

Baumann, who faces a maximum of 66 years in the Wisconsin Prison System, will be sentenced Aug. 20.

Shereen Siewert can be reached at 715-845-0773. Follow her on Twitter as @ShereenSiewert.