Man suspected of driving stolen vehicle charged in fatal St. Paul crash

Prosecutors have filed charges against a man for his alleged role in a fatal crash Monday afternoon near the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

According to a criminal complaint, officers responded to a head-on crash between a Nissan Rogue and a Nissan Altima on Cretin Avenue near Mississippi Boulevard.

A woman in the back of the Rogue died at the scene. On Wednesday, police identified her as 30-year-old Randi Lee Stone of Minneapolis.

A man who originally told police he was a passenger in the Rogue, 31-year-old Devin Chase, was on the ground outside the driver’s side door. He was taken to Regions Hospital with a dislocated hip.

Fatal Crash Update:

The female who died in the crash on Monday at Cretin Ave N and Mississippi River Blvd has been identified as Randi Lee Stone, 30, of Mpls.

Devin Chase, 31, of Mpls is being treated at Regions Hospital for injuries he sustained in the crash.

— Saint Paul Police Department (@sppdmn) February 22, 2023

The driver of the Altima told police he was driving south on Cretin when he came across the Rogue driving toward him at high speed, the complaint states. The Rogue was allegedly weaving through traffic and moved into oncoming traffic; the driver of the Altima said he tried to move right to avoid the Rogue, but the curb blocked him in.

Investigators say the Rogue involved in the crash had been reported missing on Feb. 8 and was bearing the wrong license plates. Drug paraphernalia; alprazolam, which is known by the brand name Xanax; and tin foil were also found inside.

Chase told police Stone’s sister was driving the Rogue and that he was in the backseat when the crash happened. However, investigators noted he had injuries on his arms that appeared to be from the steering wheel airbag.

When questioned by police, Chase said he and four others, including Stone, had been living out of the Rogue for the past two weeks. He said he didn’t know where it came from but “assumed it was stolen,” according to the complaint.

The charging document adds Chase said the five of them had bought methamphetamine and heroin in Minneapolis the morning of the crash and “drove around all day smoking the drugs.”

Chase is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of theft of a motor vehicle. He will be taken into police custody once he’s released from the hospital.

A blood sample taken from Chase at the hospital is pending analysis.

Prosecutors say Chase has a history of impaired driving and was convicted of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation for a 2015 hit-and-run crash in Blaine. A charging document for that case states Chase was drunk, “almost to the point of passing out.”

Chase also has felony convictions for theft, burglary and domestic assault on his criminal record and currently has pending theft and drug possession charges.