Chippewa County hit-and-run suspect appears in court Tuesday

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) - The man charged with hit-and-run and fleeing law enforcement in September appeared in court on Tuesday.

20-year-old Chad Myszka of Wausau is charged with five counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety, one count of hit and run involving injury, two counts of hit and run and one count of fleeing or eluding an officer as a vehicle operator.

Myszka, who also received several traffic citations after allegedly leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase in Chippewa County, was in court for his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in Chippewa County Circuit Court. In addition to setting dates for the pre-trial conference and review hearing, Myszka was ordered to become compliant with pre-trial monitoring, a condition of his $15,000 cash bond that he signed on Sept. 20.

According to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, Myszka was reportedly heading west on Highway 29 into Chippewa County on Sept. 16. Law enforcement said Myszka may be armed and suicidal. Myszka’s vehicle was seen near Highway 29 and County Highway XX, and a pursuit lasted from Seymour Cray Boulevard until County Highway T when the chase was called off due to high speeds. Shortly after, a three-vehicle crash was reported on Highway 29 near 90th Street, where law enforcement officials said Myszka’s vehicle was involved.

Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said that Myszka ran from the scene on foot, jumping a fence and heading into a corn field. A shelter-in-place order was made in the Town of Wheaton, in the area of the crash, until the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said they were taking Myszka to a hospital after taking him into custody.

Myszka, who is not allowed to drive any motor vehicle, possess firearms, contact any victims, possess or consume illegal drugs or have any drug paraphernalia, and follow court pre-trial monitoring conditions, is free on a $15,000 cash bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 10 for a pre-trial conference and Dec. 7 for a review hearing.