Otsego man sentenced to 185 days of work release for drunken ATV crash that killed 12-year-old

An Otsego man learned his future on Tuesday after killing a 12-year-old in a drunken driving crash in July of 2022.

Austin Mehlhoff Copsey, 37, was sentenced to 185 days of work release in Wright County court. He also received a stayed sentence of four years and 10 years of probation.

According to court minutes, Copsey will serve 180 days of his sentence in 20-day increments throughout his probation. He has credit for two days served.

Copsey must also pay restitution, though the amount hasn’t been determined yet.

Court records show Copsey originally faced one count of criminal vehicular homicide for operating a vehicle in a negligent manner under the influence of alcohol. An amended criminal complaint includes a second count of criminal vehicular homicide while driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.

Each charge carries a 10-year maximum sentence.

Copsey pleaded guilty through an Alford plea on March 21 to one count of criminal vehicular homicide with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, according to Wright County court documents.

RELATED: Otsego man enters Alford plea in drunken driving crash that killed 12-year-old

As previously reported, investigators determined Copsey crashed while driving an ATV late at night in Otsego to pick up his daughter and bring her to a neighborhood party.

A neighbor’s security camera captured the vehicle veering off the road and rolling into the ditch, according to a criminal complaint.

Law enforcement said the 12-year-old, whom emergency personnel declared dead at the scene, was riding as a passenger.

Both a breathalyzer test and a blood test showed Copsey’s BAC at the time was at least twice the legal limit, according to the amended complaint.