Man Charged in Randolph Crash That Killed 2

Sep 10

A Kenyon, Minn. man has been charged after authorities say he was driving drunk in the wrong lane of Highway 56 in Randolph, causing a head-on crash that killed two people.

According to a criminal complaint, 28-year-old Seth John Nechville is facing two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide and a gross misdemeanor charge of second-degree driving while impaired in connection with the Sept. 6 crash.

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Deputies were dispatched around 11 a.m. and found an SUV engulfed in flames with catastrophic front-end damage. A Dodge Ram pickup, identified as Nechville’s, was facing north in the southbound lane with severe damage. Investigators documented brake marks indicating the pickup had been traveling the wrong way before the impact and a driving complaint involving the same truck had been reported just minutes earlier.

Passersby pulled the two victims, 68-year-old Peter Foxvog Olson and 49-year-old Patricia Ann Olson, both of Apple Valley, from the burning SUV. They both died at the scene despite life-saving efforts.

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Officers spoke with Nechville, who admitted he was the driver. He gave varying accounts of where he had been and where he was going, the court documents say. Officers noted his eyes were bloodshot and watery and that he smelled strongly of alcohol. He denied drinking that morning but made a comment about hoping to drink later that night. Nechville was arrested, and a blood draw was conducted under a search warrant, with results pending as of publication.

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At the hospital, Nechville gave a Mirandized statement and admitted to drinking alcohol at his home between midnight and 2:30 a.m. that day. He told investigators he should not have driven, the documents say. Records show he has two prior DWI convictions, one in 2019 and another in 2023.

Nechville remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail as of now. Bail was set at $500,000 without conditions or $300,000 with conditions. His next court appearance is scheduled for November.

Authorities continue to investigate the crash.

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