Change in Charges for Man Jailed in Fatal Crash in Fond du Lac County

PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A significant development has occurred in the case of a man who was recently arrested following a fatal crash in Fond du Lac County. The recommended charges against Jatziel Encarnacion have been modified based on new information obtained during the ongoing investigation.

According to county jail records on Friday morning, Jatziel Encarnacion is now being held on a charge of hit and run causing great bodily harm. Previously, he was facing a charge of hit and run causing death with a duty to report the accident and provide assistance. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office deemed it necessary to alter the charges due to the evidence uncovered during the investigation.

While formal charges have yet to be filed, prosecutors have submitted a sealed probable cause document on Monday, which remains confidential and inaccessible to the public.

The incident took place during the early hours of New Year’s Eve and involved two separate crashes. The first occurred on U.S. Highway 45 near Sandy Road, situated on the border between Fond du Lac County and Washington County. The second collision took place approximately three miles into Washington County.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the sheriff’s office received a report of a rollover crash near Highway 45 and Sandy Road. Upon arrival, it was discovered that four out of the five occupants of the southbound vehicle, including the driver, had been ejected from the car. Preliminary investigations suggest that alcohol may have played a role in causing the initial crash.

Further investigation revealed that the 19-year-old female driver from Hartford, identified as Taya Grimes through an online fundraiser set up to support her funeral expenses, was subsequently struck by a second vehicle and dragged. Her lifeless body was discovered in Washington County, approximately three miles away from the initial crash site, where she was pronounced dead.

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office believes that the occupants of both vehicles involved in the crashes were acquainted with each other and traveling together at the time of the incidents.