Hit and Run Crash in Arboretum, Driver Found by UWPD Drone
- Case number: 24-217
- Incident date: December 11, 2024, 11:01 pm
- Incident type: Accident
- Location/address: Arboretum Drive near Mills Street
On Wednesday, December 11th, at approximately 11:15 p.m., UWPD officers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Arboretum Drive near Mills Street. The vehicle appeared to have run off the road and hit a tree. It was totaled, and the driver was nowhere to be found.
The UWPD Drone Team responded to search the area – using thermal imaging, the driver was found about 100 feet south of the crash site, hiding within the trees. The driver, Todd Nechkash II, 27, of Mineral Point, was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. He was eventually arrested and booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of second-offense OWI, felony bail jumping, and failure to notify police of an accident.
UWPD’s Drone Team, which consists of 13 sworn and civilian members, was launched in 2023. The team is routinely called upon for assistance both on campus and across Dane County.