Guilty Plea For Crash Near Rochester Involving ‘Donuts’ and Beer

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester area teenager today worked out a plea agreement to charges stemming from an injury crash that occurred a little over two years ago while he was "doing donuts" in a farm field.

Court records indicate the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office responded on the night of December 8, 2023 to a property in Viola Township where three people had been ejected from a vehicle through the sunroof during a rollover crash. The criminal complaint says it was determined that 19-year-old Elijah Dana Thompson of Elgin, driving a vehicle he had just purchased, was spinning it around at about 40 mph when the back tires got caught up in a corn stalk, which caused the vehicle to roll three or four times.

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The court document says his two passengers, a juvenile female and an adult woman, suffered arm injuries in the crash. The complaint says a witness told investigators that she believed Thompson, who now has a Rollingstone address, was intoxicated.

According to the charges, Thompson admitted to drinking 2-3 beers before the incident. A preliminary breath test measured his blood-alcohol-concentration at just over .1 and a later blood test put his BAC at .92.

SEE ALSO: Alcohol Suspected in Critical Injury Crash Near Stewartville

Under the terms of his plea deal, Thompson entered a guilty plea to one of the criminal vehicular operation charges in exchange for the dismissal of the other counts. He was sentenced today to two years on probation, 45 days on electronic home monitoring, and fined $400.

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