Stearns County Man Sentenced to Prison for Causing Fatal Crash While Fleeing Police in Stolen Truck

(KNSI) – A Stearns County man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for causing a fatal crash while fleeing police.

On December 12th, 2022, Samuel Zechariah Butler was spotted by a Stearns County sheriff’s deputy on County Road 4 in St. Wendel Township. Another driver reported Butler was going the wrong way and driving erratically. The deputy chased after Butler, but he cut a path through several yards and escaped. The sergeant pulled back but remained on the lookout for Butler.

A short time later, a deputy was waved down by a construction crew nearby who said someone had just stolen one of their work trucks. Butler took out a street pole while escaping in the vehicle. The sergeant was able to look inside Butler’s abandoned blue Ford Explorer and allegedly found a pipe, a handheld blowtorch, and aluminum foil, which are common drug paraphernalia.

Sartell Police responded to the truck theft and a vehicle that matched the description on County Road 120 at approximately 11:00 a.m. The complaint says Butler fled again until he crashed into another vehicle in St. Cloud at the intersection of 36th Avenue North and 10th Street North.

Butler and the victim had to be taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. The driver in the other vehicle never regained consciousness and died from his injuries ten days later. The victim suffered head trauma, and both of his legs were broken following the accident.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty in October to a single charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, resulting in death. As part of the agreement, six other charges were dismissed. On Monday, Judge Andrew Pearson sentenced Butler to 24 years in prison with credit for nearly a year already served.

___