A judge gave an 18 ¾-year sentence to an unlicensed driver who was being chased by sheriff's deputies when he caused a crash in western Minnesota that killed a married couple.
Cody J. Freitag, 32, of Fergus Falls, was sentenced Monday in Otter Tail County District Court in connection with the crash on Oct. 2, 2020, that killed Diane L. Christianson, 71, and Steven J. Christianson, 72, of Fergus Falls.
Freitag pleaded guilty in September to two counts of causing death while fleeing police. With credit for time in jail, Judge Kevin Miller's sentence means Freitag will spend nearly 12 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
The deputies were trying to arrest Freitag on warrants for felony drug crimes, felony theft, felony fleeing law enforcement, domestic assault and obstructing the legal process.
At the time of the crash, Freitag was driving after having his license revoked, according to a state Department of Public Safety spokeswoman. State court records show he's been convicted twice previously for driving with a suspended license.
The Christiansons were high school sweethearts at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls and celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary two days before their deaths, according to an online obituary for the couple.
According to the criminal complaint and police:
Freitag fled in a minivan when deputies tried to arrest him about 6:40 p.m. after they posed as an acquaintance on social media and arranged to meet at a Casey's convenience store.
