Texting driver found guilty of State 23 traffic death

A woman accused of texting moments before being involved in a fatal crash was found guilty Thursday of homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Heather Cleveland, 27, of Kewaskum, was traveling west on State 23 from Fond du Lac to Ripon at 2:30 p.m. June 25, 2014. She was going about 70 mph when her Chevy Trailblazer rear-ended a Ford pickup truck stopped to make a left turn onto Willow Road, according to the criminal complaint.

The force of the impact pushed the truck into the path of an eastbound vehicle driven by Linda Trotter, 63, of Ripon. Trotter was pronounced dead at the scene.

Phone records show that Cleveland was sending and receiving texts moments before the crash.

The felony charge from the jury trial carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. She will be sentenced on June 24.

This was not Cleveland's first vehicle accident involving distracted driving.

In 2010, Cleveland lost control of her vehicle and side-swiped a tree in Juneau County. A law enforcement officer noted that Cleveland "flat out lied" about how the crash happened, according to the criminal complaint. She was convicted of inattentive driving and operating a vehicle with a suspended license.

In 2014, Cleveland was cited for traveling 81 mph in a 65 mph zone on Highway 41. During the traffic stop, Cleveland told a Fond du Lac County sheriff's deputy that she "wasn't paying attention" and thought she was traveling 75 mph, the complaint said.