A former semi truck driver has been charged in the death of a fellow truck driver in a semi truck crash that occurred on Interstate 94. He is scheduled to stand trial from May 22 to the 24th.

Great Lakes, Illinois resident Destry D. Wilson, 23, is charged with felony homicide for allegedly being negligent and intoxicated at the time of the accident. He is also charged with the misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also cited for operating while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a restricted controlled substance in his possession.

After the fiery crash that killed 43-year-old Brian L. Paglusch, Wilson told authorities that he had smoked some synthetic marijuana. He did test negative for illegal substances, though. According to the criminal complaint, a pipe was found in the semi with Wilson after the accident.

During an August preliminary hearing, a Menomonie police officer testified that on July 31 at 11:15 p.m., he had arrived on the scene of the crash where he found two semi trucks blocking the westbound lanes at the 42 mile marker, just past a rest area in Menomonie.

The officer observed Paglusch’s truck completely up in flames after he had rear-ended the flatbed truck that was driven by Wilson. The flatbed was stopped in the right westbound lane. Paglusch was pronounced dead at the scene because he was not able to get out of the truck.

Wilson would tell police, according to reports, that he had left the rest stop and was moving at highway speed. However, a number of witnesses told authorities that Wilson’s truck was not moving at all. A reconstructionist and a State Patrol officer testified that it appeared that Paglusch had slammed on his brakes in order to not hit Wilson’s truck.

A motion hearing is scheduled for April 5 and the final pretrial is slated for May 5.