Man accused in snowmobile death of Chicago TV anchor due in court

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A man accused of killing a Chicago TV news anchor in a northern Wisconsin snowmobile crash is due back in court this week.

A judge and attorneys in Vilas County will decide Thursday how to proceed with the case of Scott Hirschey, 44, Crystal Lake, Ill.

He stood mute in June, while the judge entered an innocent plea to homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

Authorities said Hirschey’s snowmobile missed a trail entrance near Sayner last January and hit a tree.

Randy Salerno, a passenger on the unit, was killed.

Salerno, 45, was the morning news host on the CBS TV station in Chicago. He was a journalist in the Windy City for about two decades.

Hirschey was a friend of Salerno’s, and they and other friends were on vacation in Vilas County when the crash occurred.

Court records said Hirschey’s blood alcohol limit was almost three times the legal limit.

He’s also charged with local violations of drunken snowmobiling, and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

Innocent pleas were also entered on those counts.

Tags: snowmobile death, chicago tv anchor, wisconsin, news