Avon Man Charged in St. Cloud Drunk Driving Crash That Killed Unborn Child, Critically Injured Mother

(KNSI) – An Avon man has been charged after an alleged midday drunk driving crash in St. Cloud killed an unborn child and left the mother in critical condition.

Christopher James Otte was charged in Stearns County District Court on Tuesday afternoon with Criminal Vehicular Operation resulting in the death of an unborn child and Criminal Vehicular Operation resulting in great bodily harm, both felonies.

On Friday, February 13th, 2026, just before 1:00 p.m., first responders were called to a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of 33rd Avenue North and 5th Street North. Officers arrived to find a GMC Yukon, driven by the 32-year-old Otte, and a Toyota Sienna van, driven by Nastaho Amare, had collided head-on.

According to a criminal complaint, Amare was found trapped between the driver’s seat and dashboard. The situation became even more dire when the front of her vehicle caught fire. She was ultimately freed with the assistance of the St. Cloud Fire Department.

The 34-year-old woman was rushed to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital, where she needed a blood transfusion and surgery for injuries to her hip, femur, knee, ankle, and foot. She was placed on a ventilator, was unconscious, and in critical condition the following day. Her unborn baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators say multiple eyewitnesses told police that Otte’s vehicle was traveling west on 5th Street North at a very high rate of speed before the crash. Surveillance footage obtained from a nearby business corroborated those accounts, showing Otte’s vehicle running a stop sign at 25th Avenue North without stopping. Police determined his vehicle was speeding and had veered into oncoming traffic at the time of the collision. A State Patrol crash reconstruction is ongoing.

Officers on scene say Otte appeared very unsteady on his feet, with slurred speech and watery eyes. He was administered field sobriety tests, which showed indicators of impairment, and a preliminary breath test registered a blood alcohol concentration of .201 — more than twice the legal limit of .08.

A receipt found on Otte during his arrest showed he bought four Crown Royal whiskey drinks at a local sports bar at 11:17 that morning, less than two hours before the crash.

In a statement given to police after being read his Miranda rights, Otte admitted to drinking at the sports bar before driving, though he claimed only two of the drinks were his. He also twice acknowledged responsibility for the crash, saying, “It was my fault.”
A blood sample was taken from Otte and submitted to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing.

Otte was previously convicted of a gross misdemeanor DWI on July 22nd, 2019, in Stearns County.

The charges described in this article are allegations. Otte is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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