Charges: Driver In Deer River Crash Was Nearly Twice The Legal Limit
DEER RIVER, Minn. (WCCO) – A 29-year-old Deer River man is accused of having a blood alcohol concentration of nearly twice the legal limit in a crash that killed two people in northern Minnesota earlier this month.
Derrick Lee Cloud faces six charges related to the Sept. 8 crash: two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession, one count of violating a court order, driving after suspension, and driving while impaired.
The fatal crash happened around early in the morning on Highway 46. A car carrying two people attempted a U-turn, and Cloud, who was driving a Chevy Trailblazer behind them, slammed into the driver's side of their car.
Both people in the car were pronounced dead at the scene, a criminal complaint states. They were identified as 27-year-old Cory Jones of Cass Lake and 21-year-old Jaclyn Howard of Deer River.
Cloud reportedly told a responding deputy that he had "too much" to drink.
A blood test later showed that Cloud's blood alcohol concentration was 0.153, nearly twice the legal limit. In a search of the Trailblazer, officials found an open beer bottle, among other items, like cocaine, a suspected marijuana cigarette, and a loaded gun magazine.
During an interview with authorities, Cloud said he'd been up all night and had fallen asleep behind the wheel at the time of the crash, the criminal complaint states. He added that he'd been drinking at his home and at the Deer River Casino with the victims prior to the crash, which happened as they were all going to meet his girlfriend.
Officials say that Cloud has previously been convicted of assault, refusing to submit to a chemical test and domestic assault. He also violated his probation multiple times in relation to these offences and had his driver's license suspended for not paying child support and failing to appear in court.
He is currently being held in jail on $200,000 bail. If convicted of all the charges against him, he faces a maximum penalty of more than 30 years in prison and/or a $64,000 fine.
