Avon Man Pleads Guilty to Causing High Speed Fatal Crash

ELK RIVER (WJON News) -- An Avon man has admitted to causing a fatal crash near Clear Lake last August.

Twenty-three-year-old Hunter Buckentine is pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation.

Sherburne County District Court records show Buckentine was driving westbound on Highway 10 when his car slammed into the back of a Chevy Cobalt at a high rate of speed. Authorities say Buckentine's car pushed the victim's car into the ditch and caused it to roll multiple times.

A passenger in the Cobalt, 34-year-old Jordan Kramer of Clarissa, died in the crash. A second passenger in the Cobalt, 38-year-old Candice Pooler of Clarissa, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Cobalt, 34-year-old Lindsey Soiseth of Lake Lillian had minor injuries.

According to the charges, Buckentine was driving when he and 21-year-old Trenton Michels left a Becker bar and headed toward Clear Lake. Court records show Michels pointed out that a state trooper had just passed them and Buckentine accelerated.

The charges say Buckentine pulled out his phone, took a Snapchat of the speedometer at 150 miles-per-hour, and typed "a new record". That's when Michels said he looked up and saw the Cobalt's taillights just before impact.

A crash reconstruction showed no efforts by Buckentine's car to slow down before impact. A search of his phone found the social media post about his speed just before the time of the crash.

Buckentine is expected to receive nine years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced on October 21st.