Republic men arrested in Wisconsin following fatal rollover accident

MARQUETTE — An Iron River woman was pronounced dead at the scene of a car crash Saturday morning in Cooperstown Township.

Deputies from the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at approximately 6:14 a.m. Saturday to the I-43 northbound ramp at County Highway K within the township of Kossuth for a report of two men physically fighting outside a parked 2006 Honda Accord. Prior to deputies arriving, the men entered the vehicle and continued northbound on I43. At approximately 6:23 a.m., deputies and EMS were informed that the vehicle in question was involved in a rollover crash on I-43 south of Schley Road within Cooperstown. The preliminary investigation indicates 33-year-old Corey Knepp from Republic was operating the vehicle when it abruptly entered the east ditch and overturned. As a result, 29-year-old female Emily Lapointe was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Manitowoc County Coroner Curtis Green indicated blunt force trauma was a contributing factor to her death. Knepp and his twin brother, Tyler Knepp, were both transported by ambulance to Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay for non-life threatening injuries, a press relase from the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office states.

The Knepp twins were arrested for possession of drugs as a repeater, possession of drug paraphernalia as a repeater and disorderly conduct. Both remain in Manitowoc County Jail on a $2,500 cash bail following a bail hearing on Monday.

The initial physical altercation and cause of the crash are still under investigation by the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and Manitowoc County Coroner’s Office.

Maribel First Responders, Maribel Fire Department, Mishicot Ambulance, county rescue, Manitowoc County Highway Department and PK’s Towing.