Desmond L. Waukau, Jr., Involuntary Manslaughter, Wisconsin 2024

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – A man from the Green Bay area has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and fleeing an officer resulting in death following a vehicle crash on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 17, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Desmond L. Waukau, Jr., a 21-year-old enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, with the crimes.

According to the indictment, on or about September 20, 2024, Waukau attempted to elude a marked police vehicle on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Waukau allegedly accelerated the vehicle he was operating, which was under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance, and crashed the vehicle, causing the death of a passenger.

The indictment charged Waukau with two counts: Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1112 and 1153(a), and Fleeing an Officer Resulting in Death, 18 U.S.C. § 13(a) and Wis. Stat. §§ 346.04(3) and 346.17(3)(d).

Waukau faces up to 8 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the involuntary manslaughter charge. For fleeing an officer resulting in death, Waukau faces a 30-month mandatory minimum sentence, up to 25 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Waukau also faces terms of supervised release and special assessments of $100 per count if convicted.

The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case in the United States District Court in Green Bay.

It is essential to note that an indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. Waukau is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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