A Twin Cities man has been found guilty in a hit-and-run crash that killed two men nearly eight years ago in western Wisconsin.
Andrew M. Endres, 33, of Randolph, pleaded no contest this week in Polk County Circuit Court to two counts of hit and run resulting in death in connection with the crash on Jan. 11, 2014, that killed Richard L. Cobenais Jr., 41, who lived near Luck, Wis., and Benjamin R. Juarez, 28, of Frederic, Wis.
Endres, who was a longtime firefighter in his community, remains free on bond ahead of sentencing scheduled for Jan. 18.
Cobenais and Juarez were struck by a pickup truck and killed shortly before 6:30 p.m. along County Road E, northeast of Balsam Lake. The two had been at a home and got into a fight that spilled into the road, where they were struck, according to the Sheriff's Office.
On Sept. 28, 2020, a man called the Sheriff's Office and said his estranged wife heard Endres say he ran over the two men and was drunk at the time, the charges against him read. A law enforcement search of Endres' cellphone revealed that he was in the area less than five hours before the collision and until late the next morning before heading back to Minnesota, the charges continued.
About two weeks later, the pickup was located in Crow Wing County under new ownership and seized by law enforcement.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
