Distracted driver sentenced in fatal crash
Nov. 19—GAYLORD — A St. James man who caused a crash that killed a Redwood Falls man was sentenced to 21 days in jail and must give speeches about the dangers of distracted driving.
Tashawn Ray Parker, now 21, ran a stop sign and killed Merle Rueben Berreth, 69, in September 2019 at County Road 9 and Highway 19 near Gaylord.
Parker's pickup struck Bereth's pickup, then Parker's trailer came loose, machinery was ejected from the trailer as it went into a ditch, and a piece of machinery struck Berreth's pickup, court document's said.
Parker told investigators he did not see the stop sign because he was looking at a GPS app for directions. A crash reconstruction determined he was speeding and the machinery wasn't properly secured in the trailer.
Charges filed against Parker included felony criminal vehicular homicide. He pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor reckless driving and other charges were dismissed. He was sentenced Thursday in Sibley County District Court.
He was ordered to spend 15 days in jail within the next 60 days, followed by three days in jail on the anniversary of the crash next year and in 2023.
He also was sentenced to two years probation, with conditions including he give at least eight distracted driving talks at high schools.
