Man who caused fatal crash while FaceTiming in construction zone avoids prison time

A Minneapolis man was sentenced to work release Wednesday for his role in a deadly crash in April 2021 on Highway 62 in Richfield.

Court documents show 32-year-old Darrin Doral Gregory Jr. will serve 177 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse when factoring in previous jail time, followed by three years of supervised probation. He pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide in June.

Judge Juan Hoyos stayed a four-prison term that Gregory will have to serve if he breaks the conditions of his sentence, which include participating in nearly two dozen safe driving panels to warn about the dangers of distracted driving.

According to a criminal complaint, Gregory was found to be at fault in a four-vehicle crash on April 15, 2021. Investigators say he was on a FaceTime call at the time of the crash and never braked before the moment of impact. It’s also possible he was driving above the speed limit.

Around 10 a.m. that morning, construction on Highway 62 had narrowed eastbound traffic to one lane on the far left near Portland Avenue.

A review of traffic cameras showed a Kia Optima had slowed to a crawl due to the backup, and a Chevrolet Equinox was slowing down behind the Kia, the complaint states. That’s when a Honda Civic rear-ended the Chevy, prompting the driver of the Chevy to pull onto the shoulder; the Honda, however, appeared to be disabled in the left lane.

Soon after, a Ford F150 pickup barreled into the Honda, causing the pickup to flip over. The Chevy struck the Kia while trying to get out of the way, investigators say.

The driver of the Honda, 23-year-old Alice Tibbetts of Mendota Heights, was pronounced dead at the scene. Gregory was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.