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Madison man charged in passenger's death
A Madison man who was driving a stolen van when he ran off the road and crashed it into a utility pole on County Highway I near Cuba Valley Road, killing one of his passengers and injuring another, was charged Tuesday with operating a stolen vehicle and causing death and great bodily harm while driving with a suspended license.
Matthew J. Organ, 19, admitted to police that he was driving the van on Dec. 7 at about 12:40 p.m. on Sept. 7 when he slammed into the utility pole, killing Jeffrey G. Dick, 20, and seriously injuring Michael D. Gardner, 16, in the accident.
Organ also admitted that he had used the stolen van for about four nights to drive others around rural Dane County communities where they would steal items from unlocked vehicles.
The lone felony count filed against Organ Tuesday was for operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent, which carries a maximum penalty of three years and six months in prison and on extended supervision. The other two counts, causing death while operating with a suspended license and causing great bodily harm while operating with a suspended license are each misdemeanor counts with carry a maximum penalty of nine months in jail.
Michael D. Gardner, then 16, was pinned in the back of the van and suffered a broken leg in the crash and had to undergo surgery and physical therapy, the complaint says. Dick died from extensive head and neck trauma sustained in the crash.
The van was stolen in Blue Mounds on the night of Nov. 30, 2007, the complaint says.
