Man indicted in fatal drunk driving crash on Saginaw Chippewa Reservation

BAY CITY, MI – A federal grand jury has indicted a Mount Pleasant man on a murder charge after police accused him of killing another man in a four-vehicle pileup while he was drunk driving and on other drugs.

The grand jury in Bay City on Wednesday, June 26, indicted 32-year-old Brian M. Wemigwans on single counts of second-degree murder, operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol level causing serious bodily impairment, and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily impairment.

The charges stem from a multi-vehicle crash that occurred Dec. 19 in Isabella County’s Union Township, within the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation. Wemigwans is a member of the tribe, the indictments state.

Reports indicate Wemigwans had been driving a Chrysler 300 west on Broadway Road when it rear-ended a Chevrolet Impala that was waiting to turn left. The Impala crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Mercury SUV. Meanwhile, the Chrysler veered into an eastbound Ford Escape, according to statements previously released by the Michigan State Police.

Crash near Mt. Pleasant kills Muskegon area man

Four vehicles were involved in the crash that occurred Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Wemigwans’ passenger and fellow tribal member Jordon C. Wilson was killed in the collision. Wemigwans and the drivers of the other three vehicles were all hospitalized for injuries.

Wemigwans had a blood alcohol level of at least 0.17, according to the indictment. The document also states Wemigwans had fentanyl, diazepam, and THC in his blood.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than heroin and can be lethal to humans at the 2-milligram range, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diazepam is a generic name for Valium, a benzodiazepine. THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana.

Regarding the murder charge, the indictment states Wemigwans killed Wilson “with malice aforethought.” Wemigwans has a drunken driving conviction within the last seven years, the document also states.

Wemigwans was arraigned Monday, July 1, and is being detained until a detention hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 8 before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris.

Wilson, 30 and of Muskegon County’s Twin Lake, “loved playing and watching basketball,” according to his obituary. “He enjoyed listening to music, playing volleyball at family functions, watching the Detroit Lions, Pistons, and Michigan Wolverines. Family was the most important thing to Jordon.”