A St. Paul man accused of driving with a suspended license at speeds of more than 100 mph has admitted that he caused a two-vehicle crash that killed a doctor going to work at a Twin Cities hospital.
Norman D. Toney, 34, of St. Paul, agreed in Ramsey County District Court last week to plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide, gross negligence, in connection with the collision on Nov. 9, 2021, that killed Dr. Daniel Schnobrich, 40, of Arden Hills.
The plea agreement reached between prosecutors and the defense includes dismissal of a charge of fleeing police and a criminal vehicular homicide count alleging illicit drug use. The agreement indicates that the County Attorney's Office will seek a 10-year sentence for Toney.
Toney was driving while his license was suspended, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Along with this case, his criminal history in Minnesota includes two convictions for drunken driving, three for driving after his license was revoked and one for speeding.
Schnobrich was heading from his Arden Hills home to M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center for the night shift when Toney's speeding SUV hit his car with such force that it shredded the doctor's car. Schnobrich, a pediatric and palliative care doctor who taught at the U's School of Medicine, died less than five hours later.
At the time of the crash, Schnobrich was employed at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital and was an associate professor at the U's Medical School.
Schnobrich graduated from Waconia High School in 1999 as a National Merit Scholar, studied biochemistry at Iowa State University, attended University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota.
According to the charges:
