An arraignment date is set for an Illinois man accused of killing a family of four during a multi-car pileup on Interstate 80.
Josef Slezak is charged with four counts of manslaughter from a September accident near Potter.
Court documents say the Schmidt family, of Rockville, MD, was slowing down for an accident on the interstate. Slezak was traveling behind them, but never slowed down for traffic in front of him. He crashed into Christopher Schmidt, who was driving a Ford Mustang, causing him to crash into the Toyota Corolla, driven by his wife Diana. She was also driving her 2 children, and was also pregnant. The crash killed them all.
Slezak had filed a plea in abatement, disputing some of the facts from the preliminary hearing.
On Thursday of last week, District Judge Derek Weimer overruled Slezak's plea, stating that the state met its burden of proof.
He will be arraigned in Cheyenne County District Court on February 7th at 8:30.
