$35k cash bail set for semi-truck driver arrested on OWI charges

The driver of a semi-truck that rear-ended a school bus with students inside appeared in Columbia County Court via video conference on Friday afternoon.

A judge set a $35,000 cash bail for 42-year-old Wayne Murphy of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was arrested on charges of crashing into a school bus with his semi-truck injuring 20 people.

A spokesperson with the Wisconsin State Patrol said Murphy was driving erratically before the crash.

The spokesperson said it happened on I-39/90/94 around 10:15 a.m. on May 23rd on the northbound side at mile marker 122.4 in Columbia County near Lodi.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the school bus which was transporting students from a private Milwaukee area school was headed northbound when the driver, 51-year-old Milwaukee woman, pulled onto the shoulder the interstate because of a mechanical issue.

Murphy's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on June 7th.