Sauk Centre Man Sentenced for Fatal ATV Crash in August 2021

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Sauk Centre man has been sentenced for his role in an ATV crash that killed another man in August 2021.

Twenty-two-year-old Wilder Kuhlmann pleaded guilty to Criminal Vehicular Homicide - Operation of a Motor Vehicle in a Grossly Negligent Manner in April.

A Stearns County judge has given Kuhlmann a stayed sentence of just under five years in prison.  He must serve a 210-day staggered sentence in the county jail.  The first 90 days are being served now with three subsequent 40-day sentences served beginning on the anniversary of the fatal crash every year through 2026. Kuhlmann will be on probation for 10 years.

The crash happened on the Lake Wobegon Trail east of Sauk Centre. The caller said several people were hurt including one person who wasn't breathing.

Get our free mobile app

Records show Wilder Kuhlmann, who was 20-years-old at the time, was driving a four-wheeler westbound on the trail with 23-year-old Kolten Kuhlmann riding on the front rack. The ATV then struck 50-year-old Scott Nathe and 35-year-old Margaret Stepan who authorities say were walking down the trail in the same direction. The collision sent both parties down a steep embankment on each side of the trail.

All four people were taken to various hospitals, where Nathe later died.

Records show motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail in the summertime and authorities say alcohol was a contributing factor.

READ RELATED ARTICLES

• U-of-M Research Project Reveals New Information on Buckthorn
• Sartell Intersection Closing for Roundabout Construction
• Highway 23/Highway 10 Work Zone Changes Impacting Traffic
• El Nino Could Signal Warmer Winter Ahead
• St. Cloud Mayor Names Rock-On Award Winners