Winona, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Oronoco man is now facing a felony charge stemming from a deadly head-on collision that occurred in Winona County in 2021.

A criminal complaint has been filed in Winona County Court against 22-year-old Eric Arthur Wittlief. It charges him with a single count of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of 58-year-old Christ Brown of Stockton.

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The court document says he was a passenger in a car that was traveling west on Highway 14 in an area known as "Seminary Hill" near Winona when an eastbound pickup crossed over the center lane and caused a head-on collision on the afternoon of August 5, 2021.

Brown was transported to a hospital in La Crosse where he later died from his injuries. His wife, Laura Brown, and Wittlief were both transported to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester with life-threatening injuries.

READ MORE: One if 3 People Severely In Winona Area Crash Has Died

According to the charges, a State Patrol reconstruction investigation determined distracted driving was a contributing factor in the deadly collision. It is alleged that Wittlief was using Facebook messenger and Snapchat to send and receive messages on his cell phone around the time the crash occurred.

The criminal complaint says much of that evidence was obtained through a forensic examination of the young man's phone. It also describes how the troopers who responded to the fatal incident noticed Wittlief's cell phone vibrating several times and how the screen of the phone showed an instant messaging conversation between him and someone working at a company in Wisconsin.

Wittlief has been summoned to make his first court appearance on the charge next month.

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