Driver Accused of Causing Fatal Monday Morning Crash Formally Charged

(KNSI) — “Maybe I dozed off.” Those were the words of a driver who walked away from a fatal crash Monday morning in Stearns County to the state trooper who responded to the scene.

According to court documents filed Wednesday, authorities had just arrived at the scene of a crash on Highway 55 in Crow Lake Township. They made contact with the driver, who is identified in the criminal complaint as 52-year-old Chad Seitz of Coon Rapids. He told the trooper he was someone else with the initials K.E.K. before correcting that to say his name had the initials K.R.K. The person with those initials had a valid driver’s license. Previous court records show Seitz does not. Seitz told the trooper he was driving from Starbuck to the Twin Cities to go to work and didn’t know what happened but remembered he hit something and went into the ditch. Later in discussions with Seitz, the trooper said Seitz stated, “Maybe I dozed off.”

The driver of the other vehicle, identified in crash reports as 41-year-old Cassie Mithaugen of Belgrade, was pronounced dead at the scene. A three-year-old in the back seat had cuts and bruises. Mithaugen’s family said she was on her way to drop the child off at daycare at the time of the crash. The girl was taken to Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood before being transferred to Children’s Hospital.

Investigators say Mithaugen was driving west, and Seitz, who was eastbound in a GMC SUV, drove over the center line and hit her car head on. They also said while speaking with Seitz, he was fidgeting and “moving about in an unusual manner” while showing signs of impairment, including dilated pupils and glossy eyes. Seitz allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana on Friday, January 19th and denied he took any medications, nor did he have any recent head trauma from the crash.

Field sobriety tests were conducted, which Seitz did poorly on, but he didn’t register any alcohol consumption on a preliminary breath test, according to court papers. The trooper said he believed Seitz was under the influence of marijuana and methamphetamines and obtained a search warrant for further testing, but the results are pending.

As the trooper was preparing the search warrant affidavit, he said he examined the driver’s license picture of the person who Seitz claimed he was and learned Seitz gave him a false name. The criminal complaint says Seitz then admitted using a different name because he knew he had an outstanding warrant.

In a sworn statement, Seitz told investigators he was a regular meth user and had used marijuana and methamphetamine on January 19th. He also said police would find a meth pipe, scale, and marijuana in the vehicle. Seitz was arrested and booked into the Stearns County jail.

Minnesotans are allowed to travel with up to a certain amount of marijuana now that recreational cannabis is legal. However, Seitz was wanted on a drug related warrant out of Stearns County and a separate warrant out of Hennepin County and was not allowed to use or possess drugs. He also had a canceled driver’s license.

Seitz has been formally charged with criminal vehicular homicide operating a vehicle with negligence under the influence of a controlled substance, criminal vehicular homicide operating a vehicle with negligence under the influence of cannabis/hemp edible/products, criminal vehicular operation – bodily harm – under the influence of a controlled substance, criminal vehicular operation – bodily harm – under the influence of cannabis/hemp/CBD/THC, and giving false information to police.

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