A 31-year-old man has received a term of nearly 19 years for running over and killing a man while fleeing St. Paul police in a stolen car.
Leonie L. Sparkman, of St. Paul, was sentenced Thursday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to causing a death while fleeing police in connection with the crash on Oct. 22, 2021, that killed Brian S. Reed, 55, who lived a few doors down from where he was hit.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Sparkman is expected to serve the first 11 ⅔ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Sparkman's criminal history in Minnesota also includes two convictions for first-degree robbery, one for first-degree assault, two for careless driving and three for giving law enforcement a false name.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were called shortly before 5 a.m. to the 100 block of Bridlewood Drive, south of the Ruth Street exit from Interstate 94, to check on "suspicious activity." An officer approached a car and spoke with a woman who was crying and said Sparkman was her boyfriend. Sparkman, in the back seat, ran off.
Sparkman got in a different car nearby and drove away. The car's owner said she left it running in the driveway to warm it up. Moments later, Sparkman drove into a tree and hit Reed about a quarter-mile to the west. Fire Department personnel declared him dead at the scene.