Brainerd,MN : Hibbing trucker sent to prison in fatal North Shore crash on February, Monday 5th 2018

Soon after a federal agency pulled his commercial trucking license and a judge ordered him not to drive, John Ray Carpenter was back behind the wheel.

The owner-operator of a Hibbing, Minn., septic services company, Carpenter had a documented history of sleep apnea that resulted in at least six crashes in recent years and dozens of violations of federal regulations.


But even after he blacked out at the wheel of his tanker in October 2015, crossing the centerline and killing an oncoming motorist, Carpenter disobeyed orders to stay off the road.

"Mr. Carpenter simply is not going to stop driving unless he is locked up," Lake County, Minn., prosecutor Lisa Hanson said Monday, Feb. 5.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Eric Hylden agreed, denying Carpenter's plea for leniency and sending him to prison for three years — the maximum sentence available under the terms of plea agreement.

Carpenter, 61, in December pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide in the crash that killed 31-year-old Andrew Johnson of Silver Bay. He earlier admitted that he "dozed off" or "blacked out" prior to the crash along Lax Lake Road in Lake County.

But the defendant sought a probationary sentence, citing community support and his lack of criminal history—factors Hylden said were outweighed by Carpenter's continued disregard for public safety.

"You haven't stopped driving," the judge said. "That frankly just floors me. If there's one thing you could've done to show that you've taken this seriously and are working to make sure it doesn't happen again, it's that while your license is suspended you'd stop driving."

Johnson was a 2002 graduate of William Kelley High School in Silver Bay and a former junior hockey player. He was working for the city of Silver Bay at the time of his death.

His parents and sister all spoke about their loss during an emotional hearing in State District Court in Two Harbors, describing him as a kind and giving person who was always looking to help others.

Source :
Hibbing trucker sent to prison in fatal North Shore crash