Gilles Gets 36 Years for Fleeing St. Cloud Cops, Killing 2

A man accused of fleeing police and causing a crash that killed two people has been sentenced to 36 years in prison.

Police say they tried to stop a jeep driven by Timothy Richard Gilles around 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2011. Gilles had a warrant at the time for a second degree controlled substance crime and second degree assault.

Gilles, who also goes by the name Ricky, was driving near Highway 15 and Second Street South in St. Cloud when two police squads attempted to pull him over. Officers say Gilles went over the center median and sped into oncoming traffic on Second Street South during rush hour traffic.

Gilles admitted to reaching speeds of more than 70 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone during the chase.

At the intersection of Waite Avenue and Second Street South, Gilles hit a car that was making a left turn, killing 30-year-old Timothy Casanova of Starbuck and substantially injuring the 22-year-old pregnant woman passenger, Megan Thomsen of Glenwood.

As a result of the crash, the woman’s baby was prematurely delivered during an emergency C-section. The baby died two days after birth because of the injuries.

The judge sentenced Gilles on Thursday to 432 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of fleeing police in a car resulting in death and one count of fleeing police in a car resulting in great bodily harm.