Minnesota Motorist Sentenced to Prison For Death of Young Girl

Get our free mobile app

Prior Lake, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Minnesota man was sentenced today for causing the death of an eight-year-old child.

49-year-old Joseph Ray Jacobson earlier entered a guilty plea to a criminal vehicular homicide charge through a plea agreement that led to the dismissal of another count of the same criminal offense. His sentencing hearing was held this afternoon and he was ordered to serve a 57 month prison term.

According to the criminal complaint, Jacobson was the driver of a pickup truck that went through a stop sign in a residential neighborhood and struck the eight-year-old girl while she was riding her bike to a nearby convenience store in Prior Lake. The court document says the child's mother was following her in the car to make sure she was okay and witnessed the tragic incident in August 2022.

The charges against Jacobson indicate investigators obtained a search warrant for a blood sample from him and it tested positive for methamphetamine. The documents also state a surveillance camera at the nearby Mystic Lake Casino recorded video of his vehicle driving through the intersection without slowing or stopping for a stop sign before striking the child. The criminal complaint indicates Jacobson claimed he had stopped at the stop sign and the victim had come, "out of nowhere."

More Minnesota News:

• Convicted Rochester Drug Dealer Sent to Prison For 2nd Major Bust
• Guilty Pleas Entered by Chatfield Man Accused of Child Sex Abuse
• Sun Country Airlines Just Added More Direct Flights From Minnesota