Lake Mills man sentenced to prison in head-on crash

Published 7:18 pm Wednesday, May 26, 2021

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A Lake Mills man who pleaded guilty in April to his role in a head-on crash that injured multiple people on New Year’s Day in 2019 near Forest City was sentenced Tuesday to up to five years in prison.

Michael Olsen

Michael Scott Olsen, 22, was convicted of three counts of serious injury by vehicle, all felonies, in exchange for 11 other criminal charges being dismissed. The other charges included additional counts of serious injury by vehicle; operating a vehicle while under the influence, a first offense; possession of a marijuana, a second offense; and leaving the scene of an accident with a serious injury. 

Court documents state Olsen was traveling southbound in a 2010 Dodge Ram at 2:21 a.m. Jan. 1, 2019, on 120th Street about a half mile south of 360th Street, when his vehicle struck a 2004 Grand Prix, carrying multiple occupants.

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Upon further investigation, Olsen was found to reportedly be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Court documents state a deputy who arrived at the crash could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the pickup and found a bag of a green leafy substance in the center console of the truck. The green leafy substance was in a glass jar and a plastic baggy.

Six people were seriously injured.