Twin Cities student at UW-Stout had nearly .30 BAC before bleeding to death

A Twin Cities student who was found dead in a driveway near the University of Wisconsin-Stout this spring was extremely intoxicated when he went through the glass of a sign outside a church, authorities said Tuesday.

The body of Rickey A. Hible, 22, of Shakopee, was discovered just east of campus on April 16, the morning after he had been out drinking at various spots around town, police said in a detailed statement issued Tuesday. An autopsy determined that he bled to death.

Hible's blood alcohol content level was 0.298, or nearly four times the limit to legally drive in Wisconsin, police said.

In response to the findings that were released, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer said in a campuswide note that "we … have a responsibility to learn what we can from the circumstances surrounding Rickey's death in the hopes of avoiding a similar tragedy in the future.

"I believe a hard lesson to be learned from this incident is that, even though we have made some progress in our efforts to curb high-risk alcohol consumption, more needs to be accomplished in this critical area."

Meyer said that the university's high-risk drinking prevention plan for the next school year includes university and community leaders "visiting the homes of off-campus students to discuss the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption with the residents."

The chancellor acknowledged "there is no silver bullet in our efforts to prevent tragedies that emanate from high-risk behaviors associated with alcohol consumption, but we still have a responsibility to do everything we can to help our students have a healthy and safe experience while they attend UW-Stout."

Hible met friends the previous evening at a cookout, attended a party and visited bars downtown. After the bars closed, Hible and a friend arrived at a home across from Our Saviors Lutheran Church. The friend went inside for about 5 minutes and came back out to find Hible gone.

A witness spotted Hible on the ground below the church sign. Hible stood up, yelled and ran across the street.

Hible was not seen again until a handyman at a home nearby spotted the student's body shortly after 7 a.m. in a driveway about a block away.

Blood was found on the broken church sign and leading to where Hible died. Hible suffered cuts to his right wrist, forearm and to an artery near his elbow.

Hible moved with his family to Shakopee from Watertown S.D., when he was in high school. He wrestled in high school from ninth grade until his senior year in 2012.