A Maplewood man with several speeding offenses on his record has been charged with causing a traffic death in a high-speed collision.
Anthony Lloyd Mancheski, 20, made an initial appearance in Washington County District Court on Thursday on a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide. Brian J. Jacobson, a Minnesota National Guard staff sergeant driving to work from his home in Lake City, Minn., died in the early morning crash in May 2010 when Mancheski's car and another vehicle hit him along Hwy. 61.
Jacobson's vehicle was "virtually destroyed" in the collision just north of the Hastings Bridge in Washington County, according to the charges.
County Attorney Pete Orput said that while no alcohol was involved in the crash, prosecutors decided to charge Mancheski with a felony because of Jacobson's death. Prosecutors will have to prove that Mancheski committed a "grossly negligent act," Orput said.
A State Patrol reconstruction showed that Mancheski's car was traveling between 83 and 89 miles per hour when it collided with another southbound car, knocking it out of control. Both cars then veered into the northbound lane, striking Jacobson's car.
The State Patrol's report concluded that Mancheski was driving in an "aggressive manner" and passing vehicles in "quick successive" lane changes, according to the complaint.
One witness alleged that Mancheski was driving erratically and "tremendously faster than the rest of the traffic," according to prosecutors.
Since Jacobson's death, Mancheski has had speeding convictions, all petty misdemeanors, in Cottage Grove, Oakdale and Newport. He was cited in Maplewood on Sept. 11 for fourth-degree drunken driving, a misdemeanor, after wrecking his car in an accident.
Mancheski is being held in the Washington County jail. His next court appearance is Oct. 4.
Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037 Twitter: @stribgiles
