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.
Long sentence for driver who killed couple in crash while fleeing Otter Tail deputies
The husband and wife were high school sweethearts who just marked their 48th anniversary.
November 3, 2021 at 5:33AM
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.
Deputies chased him into downtown Fergus Falls, where he was passing cars and driving in the wrong direction before he ran a stop sign and hit the couple's car.
A search of Freitag's van turned up drug paraphernalia and residue, a torch and suspected methamphetamine. Questioned by police at the hospital, Freitag said, "I [messed] up. … I hurt people," the complaint read.
One of the deputies involved in the pursuit found legal trouble of his own in connection with the pursuit.
Kelly Backman pleaded guilty to misconduct by a public employee, a gross misdemeanor, after a blood test showed that he was under the influence of fentanyl. Backman was given a 30-day sentence and put on probation for two years. He also was fired.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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