A Cohasset man drove a stolen pickup into oncoming traffic in Grand Rapids, killing a woman in a head-on collision and leaving another passenger seriously injured, according to charges.
Jack Leroy Daniel Drumbeater, 41, faces charges of third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, motor vehicle theft and fifth-degree drug possession. The charges were filed Saturday, August 22, in Itasca County District Court.
According to the complaint, officers responded at about 4:33 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, to the area of NW 4th Street and 17th Avenue NW in Grand Rapids for a report of a two-vehicle head-on crash. Officers found a red Chevrolet Colorado pickup with severe front-end damage and a grey Chevrolet Impala with heavy damage, partially off the roadway. A bystander told officers a woman was trapped in the Impala.
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Officers found the victim, an adult woman, unresponsive in the driver’s seat of the Impala, her legs pinned under the steering wheel and a severe laceration on her left thigh. Officers could not open the doors due to the damage and were unable to provide lifesaving aid. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Inside the pickup, officers found an adult female passenger, Kerri Ellen Hart, in severe pain and Jack Leroy Daniel Drumbeater sitting on the floor of the passenger side, his arms and hands bloody and covered in glass. Drumbeater told officers he had been driving the truck. Hart told officers she had not been wearing a seat belt and estimated they were traveling about 30 to 40 miles per hour before the crash.
She also said the truck was not hers and admitted to using methamphetamine two to three days earlier.
Drumbeater told officers he remembered being at a gas station before the crash but recalled “not much” about the collision itself. He stated he thought he was driving but did not remember being in the back of the truck after the crash. Both Drumbeater and Hart were transported to area hospitals for treatment.
The complaint alleges Drumbeater’s actions, driving a stolen vehicle in a manner that created unreasonable risk, led to the victim’s death. He is charged with third-degree murder for perpetrating an eminently dangerous act with a depraved mind, second-degree manslaughter for culpable negligence, theft of a motor vehicle and fifth-degree drug possession.
A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
In Minnesota, homicide charges fall under three degrees: § 609.185 (first-degree murder), § 609.19 (second-degree murder) and § 609.195 (third-degree murder). First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence; second-degree convictions are presumptive 12 to 40 years; third-degree up to 25 years. The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission publishes guideline ranges that judges follow except where specific aggravating or mitigating factors are on the record.
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