Trial Of Duluth Funeral Home Operator Set To Begin
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- A funeral home director in Duluth is set to go on trial this week, more than two years after allegedly running a red light and hitting another vehicle in Hermantown, causing the deaths of two men.
The Duluth News Tribune reports 52-year-old Daniel D. Dougherty is accused of driving under the influence of the prescription sleep aid Ambien.
He also is charged with careless driving, failure to obey a traffic signal and speeding in the crash that caused fatal injuries to 26-year-old Timothy Schlies and 27-year-old Hans Champney Warren.
The alleged crimes are misdemeanors. Prosecutors have said the evidence didn't support a charge of criminal vehicular homicide, in part because Dougherty was taking a drug that was prescribed.
The trial was delayed for several reasons, including a backlog at the state crime lab.
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