A man with 12 speeding and two DWI convictions was driving a pickup 94 mph just before the truck struck and killed a friend who was driving an all-terrain vehicle, according to charges filed in Becker County District Court.
Jeremy Scott Nelson, 27, Lake Park, Minn., faces three counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the death of Christopher Wade Carlson, 29.
Nelson was driving in a grossly negligent manner and under the influence of alcohol early on Aug. 17 when his pickup struck Carlson's ATV from behind on County Road 1 south of Lake Park, according to a court complaint.
The two friends had been drinking together at a street dance the night before and later met at a friend's house, according to Clay County Attorney Brian Melton, who is prosecuting the case because Nelson is related to a Becker County official.
Melton said Carlson left the friend's house driving an ATV and Nelson left a few minutes later in his pickup.
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Information gleaned from the pickup's computer showed the truck was traveling 94 mph and was at full-throttle a few seconds prior to impact, according to the complaint.
Just before impact, the pickup began a spin, which slowed its speed to 88 mph, according to the complaint, which stated Carlson's body was found 342 feet from the point of impact.
Authorities found Nelson's truck but no driver when they reached the scene shortly after 3 a.m.
A relative of Nelson's who lives less than two miles from the site of the crash told authorities that Nelson, looking confused and complaining of head pain, knocked on her door about 7:15 a.m.
Phone records show Nelson made several calls to his sister between 3:42 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. that day, court records say.
Nelson, who was being held in the Becker County Jail on Thursday night, is expected to make a court appearance this morning, said Melton.
Nelson had 12 speeding convictions between 1997 and 2007 and DWI convictions in 1999 and 2002, according to court documents.
