FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Convenience store worker Sanju Paudel allegedly sold two teens alcohol before a fatal traffic crash in January, according to charges filed Thursday. Speed was also a factor, as the car was going 80 mph when it struck a tree, the complaint states.
Paudel, 27, faces two counts of procuring alcohol for a minor resulting in death for the Jan. 21 crash which killed Nevins Zoch and Tommy Koenigs, both 16. Another girl, Gillian Schwartz, was also injured in the town of Taycheedah crash.
Paudel made an initial court appearance Thursday, where a $25,000 cash bond was set by Judge Laura Lavey. She returns to court June 2 for a preliminary hearing.
The maximum penalty on each count is 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Paudel didn’t ask for identification for teens before selling them two 30-packs of Busch Light and a bottle of Captain Morgan rum, according to the complaint. That was about 8 p.m. Saturday.
The teens then went to a home, where there was an underage drinking party with no parents present.
Authorities believe the vehicle had been speeding westbound on Golf Course Drive in the town of Taycheedah, lost control, and entered the north shoulder, striking a tree on the north side of the road at about 3:25 a.m. Sunday. Schwartz told police they were travelling at 100mph at one point, and were going 80mph when they hit the tree, the complaint states.
Koenigs, the driver, had a BAC of .123, and had marijuana in his system, according to the complaint.
The owner of the convenience store told police Paudel left the country after the crash. Her attorney said the trip was to visit her sick father. Paudel was ordered to surrender her passport as a condition of bond.
The complaint does not detail the circumstances of her arrest. There are no comments from Paudel cited in the complaint.
The teens involved in the crash left the home using another teen’s vehicle. While did they did not have specific permission to use the vehicle that day, one of them has used it previously, and the owner did not want to pursue stolen vehicle charges, according to the complaint.
