A drunken driver fled police in central Minnesota, at times topping 100 miles per hour, until he collided with another vehicle, killing a teenager inside, according to felony charges.
Jerome J. Rothmeyer, 38, of Clear Lake, Minn., was charged in Sherburne County District Court last week with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, fleeing police and drunken driving in the high-speed chase Aug. 10 that led to the death of Kyle S. Foley, 18, of Dassel, Minn.
Rothmeyer's preliminary blood alcohol content was measured at 0.228 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota, according to the criminal complaint.
Rothmeyer was released from jail after posting bail and is to appear in court Sept. 19. His attorney declined to comment Tuesday.
Foley graduated last spring from Dassel-Cokato High School. A lifelong member of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church in Dassel, he "enjoyed many activities with his Christian friends," his online obituary read. Along with his parents, Foley is survived by 12 siblings.
According to the charges, a police officer saw Rothmeyer driving erratically after leaving the Pebble Creek Golf Club and tried to pull him over. Instead, Rothmeyer drove off and turned onto 82nd Street, where he accelerated to speeds of more than 100 mph and nearly struck a sheriff's deputy's squad head-on.
Rothmeyer ran a stop sign at 82nd and 125th Avenue SE. and was hit broadside by a pickup towing a third vehicle on a trailer. Foley, one of three people in the pickup, was thrown from the vehicle. He died the next day at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. The two others were treated at St. Cloud Hospital.
Rothmeyer tried to flee the crash scene but was tackled by the officer.
