An Iron Range man admitted to being extremely drunk when he crossed into oncoming traffic and killed a driver in a head-on collision this past summer.
Iron Range man admits to being drunk when he killed driver in a head-on crash
The victim was on her way home from work at the Lodge at Giants Ridge when the crash occurred.
October 24, 2022 at 2:01PM
Michael K. Miller, 40, of Virginia, pleaded guilty last week in St. Louis County District Court to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the Aug. 12 crash near Embarrass that killed Joni Dahl, 39, of rural Eveleth, Minn.
The plea deal with prosecutors calls for Miller to receive a four-year sentence. With credit for jail time already served, Miller can expect to serve the first 2 2⁄3 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
A preliminary breath test given to Miller at the scene measured his blood alcohol content at 0.247%, according to the criminal complaint. An updated complaint reported that a test of Miller's blood came back with a reading of 0.195%.
Dahl was on her way home from work as a bartender and server at the Lodge at Giants Ridge in Biwabik when the crash occurred on Hwy. 21 west of Embarrass, said resort manager Desiree Bergquist. Dahl had a master's degree in supply chain management and worked by day as a materials manager.
According to the complaint, Miller told the deputy that he had just left the Hideaway Bar, where he had mixed vodka drinks. An Embarrass Fire Department employee told the deputy he saw Miller several hours earlier at the Shack, a bar about 8 miles from the crash scene.
The proposal suggests removing the 20-year protection on the Superior National Forest that President Joe Biden’s administration had ordered in 2023.
