South Sioux City man pleads not guilty to vehicular homicide

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — A South Sioux City man, charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a May crash that led to the death of a 64-year-old woman , has pleaded not guilty.

Bradley Gatzemeyer, 26, pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide, a felony, and two counts of driving under the influence, both misdemeanors. He waived his right to appear in court for his arraignment on Tuesday.

On May 4 at about 6:27 p.m., officials were called to at the intersection of College Way and the Highway 77 bypass for a reported three-vehicle crash. Two adults and one child were taken to the hospital for possible injuries sustained during the crash.

The South Sioux City Police Department was later notified at about 7:23 p.m. that a 64-year-old female driver – the sole occupant of one of the vehicles – had died. The victim was later revealed to be Debora James.

According to an officer’s affidavit, at the scene, two small empty bottles of Fireball whisky were found in Gatzemeyer’s vehicle. His breath was reportedly found to have a blood alcohol concentration of .217, well above the legal limit of .08. A later blood test of Gatzemeyer came back with a blood alcohol concentration of .155.

Witnesses reportedly said that Gatzemeyer’s vehicle hit James’ vehicle while she was turning onto Highway 77. Gatzemeyer’s four-year-old child was in the vehicle with him.

Gatzemeyer was arrested and charged in July. His case was later transferred from county court to district court.

A pretrial conference is set for Oct. 1, 2024, at 9 a.m.

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