Duluth, MN : Driver faces charges in fatal North Shore crash on Friday, 6th April 2018

An Iowa man has pleaded not guilty in connection with a crash that killed a motorcyclist on the North Shore last summer.

Daniel Arlin Schutte, 56, is charged with careless driving and failure to yield in the August collision that killed 50-year-old Jennifer Ann White of Grand Forks, N.D.

Authorities said Schutte illegally turned his pickup truck in front of White's motorcycle on State Highway 61 north of Two Harbors. Schutte reportedly told investigators that he did not see White as he was driving toward the sun and attempting to find his turn.

Schutte, of Castalia, Iowa, waived his right to appear for arraignment last month in State District Court in Two Harbors. A pretrial hearing is set for April 16.

Careless driving is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Failure to yield is a petty misdemeanor, carrying a potential $300 fine.

According to a criminal complaint issued by the Lake County Attorney's Office:

The crash occurred just before 1:45 p.m. on Aug. 2 in Silver Creek Township.

Trooper Bradley Warren of the Minnesota State Patrol was driving south, about 100 yards behind Schutte's Chevrolet Silverado, when he noticed a row of motorcycles approaching in the northbound lanes.

Warren reported that Schutte applied his brakes and turned on his left blinker as he prepared to approach a driveway. As Schutte turned across the oncoming lanes, Warren reported seeing the truck "jolt" from White's Harley-Davidson striking the opposite side.

Warren began providing medical attention to White. She was taken by ambulance to the Two Harbors hospital and later airlifted to Duluth, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy showed no signs of alcohol or drugs in her system.

Schutte was interviewed numerous times at the scene of the crash. Troopers said there were no signs of alcohol consumption or other impairment playing a role.

"The Defendant stated that the sun was bright and he just did not see the motorcyclist," the complaint states.

White was a member of a motorcycle club and enjoyed traveling, according to her obituary. She worked for 31 years as an accountant at a North Dakota bean co-op and was survived by two children.

Source :
Driver faces charges in fatal North Shore crash