Avon Man Gets Six Years For Drunk Driving Crash That Killed Unborn Child, Injured Mother

(KNSI) — An Avon man is headed to prison for a drunk driving crash in St. Cloud that killed an unborn child and critically injured the mother.

Thirty-three-year-old Christopher James Otte pleaded guilty in June to one count of criminal vehicular operation causing the death of an unborn child, and one count of criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm. Judge William Cashman sentenced Otte to six years behind bars.

According to the criminal complaint, just before 1:00 p.m. February 13th, 2026, first responders were called to a two-vehicle head-on crash near 33rd Avenue North and 5th Street North. Nastaho Amare was trapped between the driver’s seat and the dashboard, and the front of her vehicle caught fire. The 34-year-old was rushed to CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital in critical condition. Her unborn baby was pronounced dead. Amare was unconscious and placed on a ventilator. She needed a blood transfusion and surgery for injuries to her hip, femur, knee, ankle and foot.

Multiple witnesses told police Otte was driving west on 5th Street North at a very high rate of speed. Surveillance video from a nearby business showed his vehicle running a stop sign at 25th Avenue North without stopping. Investigators determined he was speeding and had veered into oncoming traffic.

Officers say Otte was unsteady on his feet with slurred speech and watery eyes. A receipt found on him 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. Otte told police only two of the drinks were his. A preliminary breath test registered a blood alcohol concentration of .201, more than twice the legal limit of .08. He also admitted he hit Amare straight on and twice said the crash was his fault.

Because Otte had a DWI conviction in Stearns County in 2019, he faced an enhanced penalty on the count involving the unborn child’s death. State law increases the sentence when there is a qualifying prior driving offense within ten years.

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