Background: News footage of Douglas Proehl in court on April 13 for his arraignment (WBAY). Inset: Chloe (left) and Dan Bishop (GoFundMe).
A Wisconsin man accused of being drunk when he drove through a red light and struck a vehicle carrying a teenage girl and her father pleaded not guilty.
Douglas Proehl, 69, was arraigned in a Brown County court on Monday, months after a January car crash that killed 17-year-old Chloe Bishop and seriously injured her father, Daniel Bishop. He is charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, two counts each of OWI causing injury and prohibited alcohol content (PAC) causing injury, and homicide by use of a vehicle with PAC.
According to an amended criminal complaint obtained by local Fox affiliate WLUK, police smelled alcohol on Proehl's breath when they arrived at the scene of the crash in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. Proehl then allegedly "refused" to participate in a sobriety test and cursed at the police.
WLUK reported that the new criminal complaint filed on Monday included an updated blood alcohol content. According to police, Proehl's BAC was 0.115 on the night of Jan. 30, well over the 0.08 legal limit. Police said Proehl told them he had two "regular tall beers" about an hour and a half before the crash. While he told police he was at a restaurant with his wife, police said he "started to mumble even worse and seemed to become confused, as if he was searching for an answer."
Police brought Proehl to the Ashwaubenon Public Safety garage nearby to conduct field sobriety tests, during which time officers suspected that Proehl was intoxicated. According to the original complaint, which was reviewed by Law&Crime, Proehl became "boisterous" during the testing and told police "I don't really give a s—. Let's knock off the bulls—." After he refused to do a "one leg stand test," Proehl demanded a lawyer and was arrested.
Before bringing Proehl to jail, police brought him to the hospital for evaluation. According to the complaint, Proehl allegedly complained about the vehicle he hit, saying, "They drove in front of me and I was like, you got to be kidding," adding, "They didn't leave me any time at that intersection."
Police said Proehl "continued to utter that he just got the truck approximately two months ago," telling an officer that he went all the way to California to buy it. According to the complaint, Proehl "seemed more concerned about how his truck was involved in an accident versus how the occupants from the other vehicle were doing." Proehl was apparently "joking about his situation" and expressed concern about how much his phone call from jail was going to cost.
According to the complaint, the fatal collision was caught on surveillance cameras. The Toyota Corolla carrying the Bishops was seen waiting at a green light to make a left turn at an intersection. As the light turned yellow, other vehicles began slowing down.
Proehl's truck was then allegedly captured "traveling at a noticeably higher rate of speed, approaching the intersection" before it sailed through a red light and struck Bishop's vehicle. Police said they did not see Proehl's brake lights until "just prior" to the collision. A witness corroborated to police that they saw Proehl's truck run a red light.
Bishop, who broke several ribs in the crash that allegedly killed his daughter, told police that he never heard Proehl hit the brakes. He told police he saw the truck speeding toward him, but he was unable to get out of the way in time. According to the complaint, Bishop told police, "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me, knowing I'll never speak to my daughter again. I am not angry, just sad and depressed."
According to online court records, Proehl was charged with OWI in 2022. The case remains open; Proehl was scheduled to appear in court on Monday in connection with that case.
During Proehl's arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. A judge denied a request to reduce his bond from $500,000, and he remains in custody at the Brown County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on July 20.
Family members of the Bishops have set up a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses and medical bills.