Pardeeville man sentenced for Sauk County vehicular homicide

The Pardeeville man who admitted to killing one of his passengers and seriously injuring another after losing control of his vehicle while speeding away from a traffic stop by a Sauk County sheriff’s deputy was recently sentenced.

Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett sentenced Devan Michael Potter, 23, to 16 years in prison followed by 12 years of extended supervision for the felony counts of homicide with a vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance and causing injury with a vehicle while on a controlled substance.

Ryen Swiatly, who was the person injured in the crash, spoke via telephone during the sentencing hearing Jan. 10. Others spoke on behalf of 23-year-old Ashley Slama, of Portage, who died in the crash.

A condition of the extended supervision is that Potter have no contact with Slama’s family members.

Potter entered a no contest plea to the charges in October. Barrett ordered a presentence investigation be conducted during that plea hearing. The document was filed Dec. 8.

Other felony charges, such as homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and meth possession were dismissed, but “read in,” meaning they were considered in the sentencing.

Potter was charged in July 2021 after he fled from a traffic stop in rural Fairfield. Swiatly was in the passenger seat and Slama was in the back of his vehicle. They had gone to Bobbers Island Grill in Wisconsin Dells. They left around 2 a.m. and he was driving around when Deputy Matthew Tate stopped the car due to its loud exhaust and a burned out tail light.

While Potter initially pulled over along County Highway T near Gillem Road, he did not stay for the full stop. The loud exhaust could be heard through the police radio as he drove away. According to the criminal complaint, Tate did not pursue the vehicle.

Roughly 10 minutes later, the deputy found the Acura on its roof in the ditch roughly a mile east of Gillem Road. Potter was driving east when he braked into a right-hand curve at the hill of the road. The vehicle skidded, crossed the centerline and hit the opposite embankment, rolling near the woods.

Swiatly was lying on the ground, ejected from the car. The deputy found Slama pinned under the rear window. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Swiatly was taken via Med Flight to UW Hospital in Madison. Police reports indicated he was unable to speak to officers the day after the crash due to a concussion and bleeding on his brain. He also had a kidney laceration, bruised lungs and broken facial bones.

Potter was not at the scene. He was arrested after he rang the doorbell of a nearby home repeatedly, his hands wrapped in cloth, around 9:30 a.m. He reported his car stolen while police were searching for him in the woods, where he was ultimately found.

Potter knew he made a “mistake” when he sped away and that he took the corner “too fast” before sliding into the shoulder, he told police. He remembered being upside down, unbuckling his seatbelt before panicking and starting to run away. Potter then came back to his car to check on the passengers, but did not see either of them so he took their bags and fled, he said.

Potter admitted to ingesting methamphetamine before leaving his home around 8 p.m. the night of the crash.

Slama was nearing her 24th birthday. Sarah Breezer, her mother, pledged to get justice for her daughter. She wondered aloud what Potter had been thinking, asking why a ticket or an arrest for illegal drugs was more important to him than her daughter’s life.

Family members said Slama had nearly been sober for a year and was planning to work to help others with substance abuse issues. In July, the family held a fundraiser in Slama’s name to provide support to Harbor Recovery Center, a nonprofit organization which aims to aid people seeking addiction or mental health treatment throughout Columbia County and its surrounding area.

Other conditions of Potter’s extended supervision require him to undergo alcohol and other drug assessment and any recommended treatment. He must maintain absolute sobriety, not possess alcohol or any controlled substances and not enter any place where the primary purpose is the sale of alcohol. He will also be required to maintain full time employment and provide a DNA sample. Barrett also ordered that Potter install an ignition interlock immediately and for five years after regaining his driver’s license.