Plea entered for man charged in Eau Claire County fatal hit-and-run

EAU CLAIRE COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - A 35-year-old Eau Claire man charged in a fatal hit-and-run enters not guilty pleas.

Brendan Barkovich is charged with hit-and-run resulting in death and possession of cocaine as a party to a crime. He is accused of hitting 29-year-old Jonathan Peacock with his 2017 Ford Explorer in the early morning hours of July 3, 2022 while Peacock was walking alongside westbound Highway 12 between McCann Drive and 10th Street West in Altoona.

According to documents filed in Eau Claire County Circuit Court with the charges, Altoona Police were notified of a dead man on the side of Highway 12 at 5:16 a.m. July 3. First responders told police that the man was found dead by the side of the road. Two people who found the body pointed out debris from a vehicle near the body, and personal items were found scattered in the ditch near 10th Street.

A status conference is scheduled for March 20, 2023.