A Plover man recharged in the highway shooting death of a truck driver five years ago has made his initial court appearance.
Michael Haydon claims he's being framed in the November 2003 death of Kolbe and Kolbe truck driver Pat Zemke. Zemke was shot to death as he slept in his truck on Interstate 39. Hayden's attorney, Len Kachinsky, says his client makes a good point. "Mike was extremely surprised, shocked . . . that this was being recharged, as it was dropped just a couple of weeks before the scheduled trial."
Prosecutors refiled the charges earlier this month after three jail inmates said Haydon confessed to the crime. "Jailhouse snitches have a reputation for not being terribly reliable," says Kachinsky. "I guess we'll see."
Portage County prosecutor Veronica Isherwood believes Haydon killed Zemke in a case of mistaken identity, and says she'll present more of her case during a preliminary hearing March 3rd. Haydon is serving a 25-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend. A judge set a $100,000 cash bond and ordered Haydon have no contact with any witnesses in the murder case.