Dakota County man sentenced in 2014 hit-and-run that killed 2 men in western Wisconsin
Jan. 19—A Dakota County man was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and five years of parole for his involvement in a hit-and-run crash that killed two men more than seven years ago in western Wisconsin.
Andrew Endres, 34, of Hampton, was sentenced in Polk County, Wis., Circuit Court to five years initial confinement and five years extended supervision on two separate counts of hit-and-run resulting in death. The sentences will run concurrently.
Judge Jeffery Anderson ordered that Endres be taken immediately after sentencing to the Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wis.
Endres was charged in October 2020 in connection with the crash that killed Richard Cobenais Jr. and Benjamin Juarez on County Road E, northeast of Balsam Lake, shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2014.
"The families of Richard and Benjamin have our deepest sympathies," Polk County District Attorney Jeff Kemp said. "I hope the judge's decision today will help the process of healing."
Cobenais, 41, of Luck, Wis., and Juarez, 28, of Frederic, Wis., were at a house on County Road E/60th Street when they got into a fight that spilled into the road, officials said. A black Ford F-150 pickup truck approached from the north and struck both men, who were pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
Multiple pieces of the pickup truck and clear footprints in the snow were recovered from the scene, but for six years the case remained unsolved.
In January 2020, Polk County officials and St. Croix Tribal Office officials released a video about the case, featuring interviews with investigators and the victims' families, that was broadcast on social media and local TV stations. Eight months later, that video and a $5,000 reward led to a break in the case.
On Sept. 28, 2020, a man called the Polk County Sheriff's Office and said his "soon-to-be ex-wife" had been intoxicated one night and revealed that Endres, a longtime friend of hers, was "the driver of the truck that struck and killed the Native Americans," according to the criminal complaint. She said she was helping Endres cope with the deaths.
She also told him that Endres paid cash to have the damage to his pickup truck fixed, according to the complaint.
Cellphone records showed Endres was in the area at the time of the fatal crash and that he owned a black 1997 Ford F-150 truck that he later sold.
On Oct. 13, the pickup was located in Crow Wing County under new ownership and voluntarily turned over to law enforcement.
Five days later, a man told investigators that he and Endres had been drinking at Endres' parents' cabin on the day of the crash. The man and Endres left the cabin in the pickup to get more beer. While driving, Endres ran over the two men. They drove back to the cabin, and Endres started cleaning the pickup with bleach, according to the complaint.
Kemp on Tuesday praised investigators for their doggedness.
"I'd like to thank our law enforcement for the tremendous job they did investigating this case, never giving up, chasing down every single lead," he said. "Their dedication to the job is extremely admirable."
