Melrose Man Dies in Fatal Crash

A man died in what authorities suspect was s a drunk-driving crash near Melrose on Tuesday morning.

The incident happened on County Road 186 and Sherwood Road just before 3:00 a.m. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says an SUV was going southeast on County Road 186 and lost control going around a curve.

The SUV went into the ditch, hit a field approach, and rolled. Thirty-four-year-old Pedro Gomez Dela Cruz was found dead outside of the SUV.

Authorities later found a man walking east on County Road 186 and identified him as 38-year-old Luis Valencia. He was taken to Melrose Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The sheriff’s office and Minnesota State Patrol are still investigating to determine who was behind the wheel.