Driver charged for fatal crash with 85-year-old pedestrian in Howard Lake

A driver believed to have been behind the wheel of a van that killed an 85-year-old pedestrian on Sept. 4 has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide.

46-year-old Jonathon William Edwards faces up to 10 years in prison for the charge in Wright County Court.

According to charging documents, police were called to a pedestrian crash on Sept. 4 at U.S. Highway 12 and 11th Avenue in Howard Lake.

Police said a white van driven by Edwards had struck an 85-year-old woman, identified in court records as Barbara Hoppe, near a crosswalk on Highway 12.

According to court documents, Edwards claimed he had been on the phone, using a connected Bluetooth device, and claimed Hoppe was not in the crosswalk but in the middle of the road and thought she had stopped. However, Edwards said she continued to walk, resulting in the crash.

However, video surveillance of the crash showed Hoppe had been in the crosswalk at the time of the incident, according to court documents.

The video also reportedly showed Edward’s van driving towards the crosswalk at a steady speed, not stopping until the last moment when brakes were “abruptly applied.”

Police also said no Bluetooth devices were found connected to the vehicle.

Edward’s first court appearance has been scheduled for May 9.