Charges: Waverly Man Was Driving Drunk In Fatal Highway 12 Crash
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 24-year-old Waverly man is accused of driving drunk in a head-on crash in Delano last week that left a mother of three dead, according to charges filed in Wright County Court.
Michael Patrick Steer has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash, which happened last Wednesday on Highway 12 in Delano.
According to a criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol and the Wright County Sheriff's Office were called at about 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 13 to a significant crash with injuries on Highway 12 near Ebersole Avenue in Delano. When officers arrived, there had been a head-on collision between a 2003 Ford F-150 pick-up truck and a 2001 Chevrolet Lumia.
The truck, being driven by Steer, was lying on its side with the passenger side up in the air immediately after the crash. Steer was the lone occupant. Two people were trapped inside the Lumina due to damage the vehicle sustained in the crash.
The passenger in the Lumina, identified as 40-year-old Mayla Macon, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, identified as Dustin Helget, suffered several injuries and was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center.
The complaint states that an investigation of the crash indicates the pick-up truck was heading eastbound on Highway 12 when it crossed the center line and hit the Lumina head-on. A witness at the scene told officers Steer's truck only had one headlight on and he pulled out to pass the witness's vehicle. Steer was driving eastbound in the westbound lane of traffic about 65 to 70 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
The witness talked with Steer at the scene after the crash, and he said he was out there "just having some fun," the complaint states.
Steer told authorities at the scene that he had consumed several alcoholic drinks with hard liquor at a friend's house before heading to a bar in Delano, where he drank more, according to the complaint.
The complaint states employees at the bar confirmed Steer had been drinking there the night of the crash. Steer had been there for a couple hours and left shortly after 10 p.m.
If convicted, Steer faces up to 13 years in jail and more than $30,000 in fines.