A driver with a troubling history on the road was high on a cocktail of illicit drugs when he caused a collision at a Minnesota intersection that seriously injured his three children in his pickup truck and killed the other motorist, according to charges.
Cory Shawn Olson, 41, of Cambridge, Minn., was charged in Pine County District Court last week with one count each of criminal vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of drugs, and six counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash on July 2 that killed 62-year-old Kameron Lee Ellis of Hinckley, Minn.
A warrant has been issued for Olson’s arrest. Court records do not list an attorney for Olson, who’s due in court on Nov. 4.
Court records in Minnesota show that Olson’s driving history includes two convictions for drunken driving, two for driving on a suspended license, one each for speeding, having open liquor in a vehicle and failure to obey a stop sign, and four times for seat belt violations.
At the time of the crash, Olson was under restrictions that would invalidate his license if he was caught driving with “any use of alcohol or drugs,” the state Department of Public Safety disclosed.
According to the criminal complaint and the State Patrol:
Witnesses traveling east behind Ellis on Hwy. 48 estimated Olson was driving at least 70 miles per hour on southbound Wildlife Road and “made no attempt to stop at the stop sign” before entering the intersection and hitting Ellis’ pickup broadside. Ellis died at the scene.
Along with Olson, also injured in his pickup were his children: Kenneth, 16, Brianna, 13, and Jonny, 12. They all suffered serious internal injuries and broken bones.
