The driver suspected of being distracted and impaired when he fatally struck a runner Wednesday has been identified as a Twin Cities attorney.
Peter H. Berge, 60, of St. Paul, was driving early in the evening on Mississippi River Boulevard when he struck Scott A. Spoo, 35, of Woodbury, an avid runner and cyclist who was in the crosswalk at Dayton Avenue, police spokesman Steve Linders said. Spoo died at the scene.
Along with possibly being impaired by either drugs or alcohol, Berge also may have been distracted, Linders said.
Berge, who has yet to be charged, was released from jail about 9:20 a.m. Friday as investigators put together their case.
"According to witnesses interviewed at the scene, Mr. Berge may have been using his cellular phone at the time of the crash," Linders said. Results from blood tests were pending to determine whether Berge was impaired by alcohol or drugs, Linders said.
Court records show only a handful of parking violations for Berge in Minnesota.
Berge, an attorney, is the ethics chairman for the Hennepin County Bar Association.
He also was web director for Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, a nonprofit established by the Minnesota State Bar Association that develops various educational services for lawyers.