29 August 2024
HIBBING — An Iron Range man was drunk and speeding when he crashed and rolled a utility terrain vehicle last month, killing a passenger, according to authorities.
Casey Jerald Daniels, 29, of Hibbing, was charged Thursday in State District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in the July 27 death of Kevin Joseph Jamnick, 31, of Hibbing.
Investigators said the UTV struck a berm on a recreational trail between Chisholm and Buhl, ejecting the two men who were not wearing seat belts or helmets.
Jamnick was reported to have significant injuries when the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene in Balkan Township around 3:40 p.m. Another man who was traveling with their group led deputies to the scene.
A criminal complaint indicates deputies found the UTV upright, but it had damage to its top and rear end. Jamnick was found lying on the trail, unresponsive and not breathing, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Daniels, meanwhile, was found sitting next to the UTV, “covered head to toe in dirt,” according to the complaint. He allegedly acknowledged he was driving but became “quasi-responsive” to subsequent questions about what had occurred, replying with “vague gestures or not at all.”
In speaking to the man who called 911, deputies learned that Daniels and Jamnick were among a group of riders who had left Hibbing around 1 p.m. They reportedly rode to a pit near the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm and went swimming before returning.
The reporting party was too far behind to see the crash, but investigators indicated the terrain was “typical for most ATV trails and was drivable with due care.”
Deputies reported Daniels smelled of alcohol, and nearby they found a box of Twisted Tea, several empty cans and a cooler with other alcoholic beverages. The complaint says a jar of marijuana was also located, though another person claimed ownership and said no one else had smoked it.
Daniels was taken to Fairview Range Medical Center for treatment and a blood draw, pursuant to a search warrant. The sample, taken about two hours after the crash, allegedly placed his blood-alcohol concentration at 0.113, above the legal limit of 0.08. Testing for controlled substances remained pending.
Daniels’ criminal history in Minnesota appears limited to a 2015 misdemeanor conviction for underage drinking and driving.
Judge Andrew Peterson set Daniels’ bail at $100,000 without conditions but also referred him for possible supervised release. His next court appearance was set for Oct. 3.
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