Dubuque Man Sentenced For Fatal Crash, Swinging a Hatchet

A Dubuque man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for causing a fatal crash while on meth and cutting a man with a hatchet in separate incidents. 33 year old Branden Authement previously pleaded guilty in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County to charges of homicide by vehicle-operating while under the influence, serious injury by vehicle and second-degree theft in relation to a fatal crash that killed 54 year old Nancy Meisenburg on December 5, 2021. For those charges, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison. In October 2021, Authement got into an argument with his then-girlfriend, 33 year old Audrey Clancy. After Clancy left the residence, Authement grabbed a hatchet that was part of a knife collection on a wall and began to swing it at 40 year old Will Thomas Jr., cutting his mouth. Authement was sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison.