WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – A hit-and-run driver was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after striking a woman, fleeing the scene, hiding her car, and then fleeing to her monther’s house in Antigo. Josie Romero, 29, will spend five years on supervised release after her jail term.
Romero learned her fate in Marathon County court Friday.
The July 19 crash left Molly Viehweg in a medically induced coma. Romero had been sending messages to her boyfriend using the Facebook app while driving. Prosecutors say she hid her car in a friend’s garage, and told her mother in Antigo that she needed someone to watch her children because she was going away for a long time.
A surveillance camera helped police to identify the car involved, and an anonymous tip helped police locate the vehicle.
Romero also returned to the scene on foot after hiding her car, and watched as the victim was loaded into an ambulance.
“If she were to turn herself in right away the only thing she would have had is operating after a suspension of a vehicle which is still a felony but she would have had three years instead of 15,” said Assistant Prosecutor Sidney Brubacher.
Prosecutors dropped a charge of driving with a suspended license as part of the plea deal.
