Man Was Huffing Just Before Crash That Killed 3 Girl Scouts: Cops

CHIPPEWA FALLS COUNTY, WI -- Authorities in Wisconsin say they have identified the four people who died this weekend when the driver of a pickup truck collided with a local Girl Scout troop that was collecting trash along the side of a rural highway.

Police in Lake Hallie, Wis. said Monday that 9-year-old Jayna Kelley and 10-year-old Autumn Helgeson, both of Lake Hallie, and 10-year-old Haylee Hickle and her 32-year-old mother, Sara Jo Schneider, all died in the crash.

Authorities in Lake Hallie say they are recommending four homicide counts against the driver of the of the pickup: 21-year-old Colton Treu of Chippewa Falls.

Lake Hallie police Sgt. Daniel Sokup said Treu was driving his black Ford F-150 pickup truck when he veered on Highway P, crossing a lane and ending up in a ditch just before noon on Saturday, Nov. 3. On Monday, authorities said that Treu had been huffing chemicals just before he got behind the wheel.

According to multiple reports, the girls were fourth-graders at Halmstad Elementary School in Chippewa Falls, and were taking part in a highway cleanup project for Girl Scout Troop 3055.

"Our hearts are broken for the girls and families of the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes," CEO Sylvia Acevedo of Girl Scouts of the USA said in a statement Sunday. "The Girl Scout Movement everywhere stands with our sister Girl Scouts in Wisconsin to grieve and comfort one another in the wake of this terrible tragedy."

Sokup said that Treu initially fled the area, but turned himself in later on Saturday.

Girl Scouts across the U.S. said they were shocked and saddened by Saturday's news in rural Wisconsin, sharing their commentary on the Girl Scouts Facebook page.

One commenter, Carole Bachert Glenn from Arizona, said she's a lifelong Girl Scout and is devastated by the news.

"My heart is shattered with this news. As a lifelong Girl Scout and Lifetime Member, there are just no words," she wrote. "My thoughts, prayers, love, strength and hugs are being sent to the family, friends and all of my Girl Scout sisters in this tragic loss. Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout.....we will hold you forever in our hearts."

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes is inviting anyone who would like to send a card to send it to their Eau Claire Service Center: 4222 Oakwood Hills Pkwy, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

The area of the incident is in a rural Wisconsin community about 90 miles east of Minneapolis.

Image Via Police Department