Crime & Safety
Hennepin County Files Charges in Rogers Fatal Accident
A 21-year-old driver who police say admitted he had drugs in his system has been charged with vehicular homicide.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has filed charges against a 21-year-old man they say was under the influence of marijuana when he struck and killed a pedestrian walking on Rogers Drive in Rogers last spring.
Benjamin Witte has been charged with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide operation as a result of an investigation of the accident conducted by Rogers Police, the Minnesota State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department.
According to an accident reconstruction report, Witte was traveling southbound on Rogers Drive when he drifted into the northbound lane and struck and killed the man walking on the side of the road. The victim died of severe head injuries.
The results of a blood test, according to the attorney's office, showed the presence of marijuana in Witte's system shortly after the time of the accident. Officers also found drug paraphernalia, including a glass pipe and baggies, at the scene of the accident.
"The driver of the vehicle admitted he smoked marijuana earlier in the day," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. "This type of behavior can have deadly consequences [driving under the influence of marijuana], and in this instance it did."
Shortly after the crash in May, FOX9 News reported the man was from California, but did not reveal a name. Witnesses thought he was headed to the truck stop near Rogers Drive.
Witte is not in custody at this time, but is scheduled to soon make his first appearance in Hennepin County District Court.
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