FON DU LAC — A Fond du Lac man is facing two felony counts, both with hate crime modifiers, after allegedly admitting to hitting and killing a motorcyclist on purpose.
27-year-old Daniel Navarro is accused of crossing the center line while driving east on Winnebago Drive the night of July 3, 2020. His pickup truck struck and killed 55-year-old Phillip Thiessen, who was operating a motorcycle at the time.
According to the criminal complaint, Navarro stayed on scene and spoke with investigators, telling them he hit Thiessen on purpose because, “in Wisconsin, white people drive motorcycles and the Harley culture is made up of white racists.”
Navarro allegedly told investigators that he had been thinking about targeting a white person and killing them earlier in the day on July 3, 2020.
Investigators also learned of a 2019 disorderly conduct / domestic violence incident involving Navarro in the City of Fond du Lac in 2019.
Following that 2019 incident, officers attempted to have a 72-hour mental health hold placed on Navarro but the request was denied by the crisis hotline, according to the complaint.
Thiessen was a Marine, a former law-enforcement officer in Fairfax, Virginia and later worked for the Wisconsin Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children unit.
Navarro is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail on $1 million cash bond. He’s due back in court for a preliminary hearing on July 17, 2020.
