Man gets 8 years for fatal crash
Published 10:19 am Friday, March 14, 2014
By Trey Mewes, Austin Daily Herald
AUSTIN — An Elkton man will serve eight years for his role in a fatal 2012 drunk driving crash.
Jason Fredrickson, 45, of Elkton, was sentenced Thursday in Mower County District Court to four-year consecutive sentences on two of the four criminal vehicular homicide charges he was convicted of earlier this year. In total, he will serve eight years in state prison starting immediately.
Fredrickson was convicted in January on four of six charges of criminal vehicular homicide relating to a crash south of Austin that killed Jacob Moe and Luke Unverzagt on Feb. 25, 2012. Both victims were 32 years old. All three men were ejected from the vehicle.
Authorities who reconstructed the crash scene said Fredrickson was the driver, and was traveling at more than 120 mph before going into the ditch, snapping a utility pole and then hitting the tree. Because of a lengthy investigation, prosecuting attorneys weren’t able to level criminal charges against Fredrickson until March 2013.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Fredrickson, the Moes, Unverzagts, Fredrickson and his wife went to the Lyle Liquor Store and while there had alcoholic beverages for several hours before returning to the Unverzagt home after midnight. The complaint alleges Fredrickson later drove toward Austin with Unverzagt and Moe after they had more drinks. The crash happened at about 1:50 a.m. at 2810 Fourth St. SE.
Luke’s wife, Sarah, and Jacob’s wife, Megan, filed separate wrongful death suits against Fredrickson, which he has since settled. Megan has also settled with Lyle Liquor in a related civil suit.