Merrill WI Man John Lahti ID’d As DUI Driver In Saturday Night Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Boy

LINCOLN COUNTY, WI. (THECOUNT) — John James Lahti, of Merrill, Wisconsin, has been identified as the suspected intoxicated driver in a Saturday night vehicle crash that killed an 8-year-old boy and critically injured three other family members in Lincoln County.

Lahti, 41, was operating a pickup truck – allegedly impaired – when the vehicle was involved in a crash with another vehicle carrying four people, including two juveniles near Merrill.

According to reports, Lahti was operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck on Highway 107 near Sunset Drive in Scott, when the vehicle crossed centerlines and came into head-on contact with a Chevrolet Silverado, operated by 42-year-old Thomas Skaar, of Gleason.

Four Silverado occupants, Thomas Skaar, 37-year-old Leah Skaar and a 9-year-old girl, were transported to an area hospital with unknown injuries. An 8-year-old boy died of injuries suffered in the wreck.

Lahti suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Wisconsin Corrections shows he was taken into custody at 12:03 a.m. Sunday and booked into the Lincoln County Jail about an hour later. He is expected to face charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle are expected as soon as Monday, with additional charges possible, officials said.

The boy’s name has not been released due to being a juvenile.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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Geo quick facts: Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,867. Its county seat is Merrill. The county was created in 1875 and named after President Abraham Lincoln – Wikipedia.