Harville found guilty by plea
Chase Harville slowly walked out of the second floor courtroom in Crawford County Tuesday morning after a 30-minute plea hearing, during which he pleaded and was found guilty of second degree reckless homicide of a 3-year-old. (Photo by Correne Martin)
Sentencing Oct. 8 for second degree reckless homicideBy Correne Martin
Chase Harville, 30, pleaded guilty to second degree reckless homicide, and he was subsequently found guilty of the offense in Crawford County Court Tuesday. He faces up to 25 years in prison, plus an additional six years for being a repeat offender, and $100,000 in fines, according to Judge Robert VanDeHey.
Harville is convicted of killing a 3-year-old boy, B.E.J., who was in his care in Eastman Township on July 10, 2020. The boy’s mother sat in the courtroom Tuesday, holding a framed photo of her late toddler, and surrounded by multiple other family members.
An initial charge of first degree reckless homicide, with a repeater modifier, was amended, and the balance of the case against him was dismissed. The remaining three charges of firearm possession by a convicted felon (felony G), misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and misdemeanor battery with a modifier of domestic abuse will be read in at the time of Harville’s sentencing, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. in Crawford County.
By still reading them into the record, VanDeHey said they can be used for the purpose of Harville’s sentencing, in the instances of ordering restitution or enhancing the sentence, for example.
On Tuesday morning, Harville shuffled into the second floor courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit from the Oneida County Jail, in Rhinelander, where he has been confined since January 2021. He sat next to his attorney Jeremiah Wolfgang Meyer-O’Day.
Harville mumbled the word “guilty” into the microphone, when Judge VanDeHey (assigned from Grant County, and appearing virtually) asked how he would plea. He also answered with a short, faint “yes” or “yes, your honor” each time the judge asked if he understood the court actions and the rights he would give up following a guilty plea. This includes his right to a trial.
“There’s evidence to find you did commit this offense as written in the (criminal) complaint, as amended,” Judge VanDeHey stated. “The circumstances show you had an utter disregard for life and you did so recklessly.”
A pre-sentence investigation was requested and granted Tuesday.
VanDeHey said he would appear in Crawford County Court in person for the Oct. 8 sentencing. He dictated that Harville should again appear in person as well.
The repeater modifier is applied to Harville’s case due to his previous conviction of child abuse-intentionally causing harm (felony H) for an offense committed Feb. 3, 2015. He was sentenced in October 2015 to two years in state prison and three years of extended supervision for that crime.
