Minnesota Driver Pleads Guilty to Drunken Crash at Park Tavern That Killed 2, Injured 12 Others

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- The man accused of killing two people and injuring multiple others after crashing into a Twin Cities bar last year has pleaded guilty. 

See Also: One Killed, One Injured in Head-on Crash on Rural Minnesota Highway

That’s according to a news release issued by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The deadly incident happened on September 1 of 2024. 

Court documents indicate the motorist had a blood alcohol concentration that was more than four times above the legal limit. 

Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty to Crash at Park Tavern That Claimed Two Lives, Injured 12 Others

56-year-old Steven Frane Bailey was charged last year with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation with varying degrees of injury. 

The charges were later amended to include two counts of third-degree murder and 12 counts of criminal vehicular operation following a review of additional evidence. 

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Bailey was accused of driving a vehicle that entered a crowded patio at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park at a high rate of speed after it struck two parked vehicles.

The drunken driving crash took the lives of Kristina Folkerts and Gabe Harvey and injured 12 others. 

Bailey’s blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.335, the news release says. Court records indicate Bailey has a history of drunk driving offenses. 

On Wednesday Bailey pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder – depraved mind and three counts of criminal vehicular operation – great bodily harm. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The plea agreement calls for a sentence ranging from 25-30 years in prison, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says.