Matthew Brennecke, 50, the Dousman man charged last year in a fatal Oconomowoc hit-and-run, was arrested on a new drug possession complaint earlier this month while still out on cash bond. The latest arrest unfolded after police contacted Brennecke in a Waukesha parking lot, and court filings show he now faces additional charges that could complicate the already high-stakes homicide-related case.
Background on the 2025 hit-and-run
The underlying case tracks back to a July 14, 2025 crash near Allen Road and Orchard Circle. Investigators say a Volvo struck 87-year-old Allan “Al” Eighmy as he rode a tractor after mowing a church lawn. Brennecke was arrested and charged in that case, and a judge set his bond at $100,000 cash, according to TMJ4.
Arrest in Waukesha parking lot
Waukesha officers made contact with Brennecke on July 3 in the parking lot of a Wendy’s, where a police K-9 alerted to the suspect vehicle, court papers say. Officers reported finding a loaded crack pipe between the driver’s seat and the middle bench seat, along with white residue suspected to be cocaine in and under the center console. The substance field-tested as crack cocaine, and prosecutors charged Brennecke with possessing cocaine, possessing drug paraphernalia and felony bail jumping, per The Freeman.
He was ordered held on $50,000 cash bond. The complaint also notes that a June 29 noncompliance report led to a $3,000 forfeiture of his cash bail. If he posts bail, the court has ordered that he must undergo drug testing by a monitoring service and must not possess drugs or paraphernalia.
What’s next and legal stakes
Brennecke is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 22 and a status conference on July 21 as the hit-and-run case moves forward, and prosecutors could decide whether to push toward trial in the months ahead. The hit-and-run charge was upgraded last year after the victim died, and if he is convicted of hit-and-run resulting in death Brennecke faces significant prison time. Defense lawyers have argued that the facts about what happened at the moment of impact are disputed, and their claim that the victim may have fallen from his tractor before being struck has been central to pretrial argument, according to TMJ4.
