» Sentencing:

Driver killed two men in 2015 crash

A 22-year-old South Milwaukee man who admitted he had been up for 24 hours without sleep and at a party before a crash that killed two bicyclists is sentenced to seven years in prison.

WAUKESHA – A 22-yearold South Milwaukee man who admitted he had been up for 24 hours without sleep and at a drinking party before a crash that killed two bicyclists in Muskego was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday.

Brett L. Hartley will also spend three years on extended supervision after his prison term as part of a sentence that a Waukesha County judge said would set an example against underage drinking.

“You had the power, the control to say no,” Circuit Judge Lloyd Carter said, emphasizing that Hartley’s drinking and later driving were decisions, not accidents.

Carter exceeded the sentencing recommendation of prosecutors, who called for six years behind bars to be followed by six months of extended supervision.

Hartley told police that he had been up for 24 hours without sleep when he crashed into Paul Brown, 45, of Franklin and Anthony Oliver, 54, of Oak Creek in the summer of 2015, according to the criminal complaint.

Hartley’s defense argued that while alcohol was involved, Hartley was merely “drowsy driving.” Defense attorney John Schiro said Hartley did not pose a danger to the public and did not deserve to spend time behind bars.

He originally was charged with two counts of second-degree reckless homicide but pleaded guilty in April to amended charges of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle.

The widows of Brown and Oliver offered Hartley forgiveness and a path to redemption.

“I just want to tell you that my daughters, Nicole and Danielle, and I forgive you,” said Anthony Oliver’s widow, Laetitia Oliver.

Ronelle Brown, Paul Brown’s widow, urged Hartley not to leave out that he and his friends had been drinking that night. “Please let the truth set you free,” she said.

Hartley had been at a party in Richfield and was taking two people home when the crash occurred about 6:30 a.m. June 6, 2015, on Highway 36 near Muskego Dam Drive.

Hartley, then 20, was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.05 after the crash, court documents show. While that amount is below the legal level of 0.08 considered proof of intoxication in Wisconsin, it is illegal under state law for drivers under age 21 to drive with any amount of alcohol in their system.

Through sobs, Hartley read a written apology, acknowledging his responsibility for the deaths of the two men.

“I understand that for the rest of my life, I will be able to experience birthdays, anniversaries, retirement with my loved ones,” he sobbed. “And they will not.”

“I’m so sorry,” Hartley called out as he was led away by deputies. “I’m so sorry.”