A motorist suspected of being intoxicated fatally struck a pedestrian in Moose Lake and left the scene but was soon arrested, officials said.
The incident occurred shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Industrial Park Road and Jon Brown Drive, the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as 21-year-old Brent Keranen, of Pengilly, Minn. Keranen was jailed that same afternoon and remains held Friday morning on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.
Officials have yet to identify the victim, including the person’s age or gender.
Deputies and Moose Lake police found the victim in a ditch, and emergency responders soon declared the pedestrian dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
“It is believed that alcohol impairment is a contributing factor in the crash,” a sheriff’s office statement read.
Court records show that Keranen was caught on Jan. 4 by a Chisago County sheriff’s deputy on Interstate 35 texting on his phone while going 82 miles per hour. He pleaded guilty and paid a $135 fine last month.
He’s also been convicted in Minnesota of traveling 95 mph in a 60 mph zone, and driving an unregistered vehicle without insurance when he crashed into a FedEx truck.
