A friend of CBS morning news anchor Randy Salerno has been charged with a crime in connection with the Eagle River, Wisconsin snowmobile accident that ended Salerno’s life. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Scott D. Hirschey, 44, was charged with one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, a felony in Wisconsin. Hirschey’s blood alcohol content has not yet been reported. The legal limit is .08 in Wisconsin.
The accident happened around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night just outside Eagle River, Wisconsin and Salerno was pronounced dead at the scene. Salerno was a passenger on a snowmobile driven by Hirschey. Hirschey reportedly hit an embankment which launched the vehicle in the air, striking several trees.
Once the sheriff’s department finishes their investigation, the case will most likely be handed off to Vilas County District Attorney Albert Moustakis for prosecution. Moustakis is a former Chicago area lawyer who has a reputation of being tough but fair. Moustakis was also well known in Evanston, Illinois as the head coach of the high school’s varsity hockey team for several years. He relocated to Eagle River in the 1990s.
Salerno, 45, had been with CBS News since 2004. He was previously a reporter and anchor with WGN for 12 years. He also worked at stations in Albany, New York and Peoria. He won a local Emmy Award for his work on the 2004 broadcast of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.