A semi-truck slammed into a northbound motorcycle near Mineral Point and kept driving, leaving 60-year-old Bartholomew L. Chabotte dead and setting off a search that ended hours later with deputies pulling the truck over near Ridgeway. The driver, 49-year-old Ahmed Mustefa Deneto of Iowa City, Iowa, was arrested and booked into the Iowa County Jail on a felony hit-and-run involving death charge.
According to WMTV, the crash happened at the intersection of State Highway 23 and the northbound US Highway 151 Exit 40 ramp in the Town of Mineral Point, where the semi-truck continued through the intersection and hit the motorcycle before leaving. The WKOW reported that investigators identified the truck as a 2022 white Freightliner operated by Deneto.
Chabotte, of Mineral Point, was taken to Upland Hills Health, where he was pronounced deceased, the station's report states. The Iowa County Sheriff's Office identified Deneto as the driver of the truck involved in the crash, per the same account.
How Deputies Tracked Down the Fleeing Truck
Investigators were able to pull video footage from another semi-truck parked along the roadway, which helped them develop a description of the vehicle they were searching for, the outlet reported. A detective sergeant later spotted a matching truck traveling southbound on US Highway 151 and stopped it near Ridgeway.
The traffic stop itself drew a heavy law enforcement presence. WGLR reported that emergency responders gathered to process evidence at the scene, located on westbound 18-151 near Exit 52 in Ridgeway. The Iowa County Sheriff's Office said there was no danger to the public while that work was underway.
Felony Charge and the Investigation Ahead
Deneto now faces a felony charge of hit-and-run involving death. Under Wisconsin law, a violation of the statute covering such incidents is classified as a felony when the accident involved death or injury to a person, according to the Wisconsin Legislature.
The crash remains under active investigation by the Iowa County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol, per the WKOW report. The case will also be reviewed by the Iowa County District Attorney's Office, Sheriff Michael Peterson said.
A December 2025 Fatal Crash in Mineral Point
A fatal crash involving a truck with a privately owned snowplow attached occurred in Mineral Point in December 2025. In December 2025, a truck with a snowplow attached struck a bicyclist on Dodge Street near Commerce Street in Mineral Point, according to WMTV. The Iowa County Sheriff's Office identified that victim as 68-year-old Garth Scheel of Mineral Point, who was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries.
