Charges - Cell Phone Distraction Led to Owatonna Woman's Death

Owatonna, MN (KROC-AM News) - A criminal complaint filed today in Steele County Court alleges a motorist distracted by his cell phone was to blame for a deadly collision that claimed the life of a well-known retired Owatonna businesswoman earlier this year.

19-year-old Hunter Joseph Conrad of Morristown was driving a pickup pulling a trailer that collided with a vehicle at an intersection north of Owatonna on May 28. The other driver, Jackie Ostlund of Owatonna, was fatally injured in the crash.

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According to the criminal complaint, Conrad was traveling west on a rural road when he went through a stop sign at the intersection with a two-lane highway and Ostlund's vehicle collided with the trailer he was pulling, which sent his pickup into the ditch. The court document says he acknowledged driving through the stop sign at the intersection by stating, "I did more of a yield, I rolled it. Because I didn't see it coming up the hill. I didn't make a complete stop, which is on me."

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The complaint says he also denied being on his cell phone, but a forensic examination of the phone led investigators to conclude Conrad was "actively using his phone in the minutes leading up to the crash, if not at the time of the crash."

The evidence in the case also includes data extracted from the Airbag Control Module or so-called "black box" in both vehicles. The charges indicate the data shows Conrad's pickup was traveling at between 55 and 60 mph at the time of the crash. The device also indicated the break status was "off" throughout the five seconds leading up to impact.

Hunter Conrad criminal complaint - Steele County Court

Conrad is charged with a single count of criminal vehicular homicide. Court records show he has been mailed a summons ordering him to appear in court in mid-September for his arraignment.

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