Prison for man who posted photo of speedometer at 150 mph before causing fatal crash near St. Cloud

A man has received a nearly 10-year term for documenting himself driving 150 miles per hour and posting it on social media moments before he crashed into the rear of another car southeast of St. Cloud and killed a passenger in the other vehicle.

Hunter M. Buckentine, 24, of Avon, Minn., was sentenced Monday in Sherburne County District Court after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation in connection with the collision at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 19, 2023, along Hwy. 10 in Clear Lake Township.

With time in jail after his arrest, Buckentine is expected to serve about 6¼ years of his 9⅔-year term in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Buckentine was heading west on Hwy. 10 near 97th Street SE. in his Infiniti Q50 and struck a Chevy Cobalt from behind, according to the State Patrol. The impact sent the Cobalt into a ditch to the right, where it rolled several times, the patrol said. Buckentine’s car left the road, caught fire and hit a line of trees.

The Cobalt’s passenger who died was identified as Jordan D. Kramer, 34, of Clarissa, Minn. Kramer died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol said. Another passenger, Candice C. Pooler, 39, also of Clarissa, sustained critical injuries, according to the patrol. The Cobalt’s driver, Lindsey K. Soiseth, 35, of Lake Lillian, Minn., also survived her injuries.

Also suffering noncritical injuries were Buckentine and his passenger, Trenton C. Michels, 22, of Becker, Minn., the patrol said.

Court records show that Buckentine’s driving history includes three convictions for speeding and another for careless driving in connection with him crashing his car in May 2022 east of St. Cloud in Santiago Township.

According to the criminal complaint:

A trooper heading east on Hwy. 10 picked up on radar that Buckentine’s car was traveling west at 132 mph. The trooper turned around to pursue but lost sight of the vehicle. The trooper soon arrived at the crash scene and saw glass and vehicle parts in the road, the charges continued.

Soiseth told the trooper she “saw the headlights behind her, and the next thing that happened was impact,” the charges noted. She “estimated the other vehicle’s speed to be at 150 mph.”

Initial patrol observations showed a lack of braking by Buckentine before the crash.

Michels told a patrol lieutenant he and Buckentine had been drinking that night at a bar in Becker. He said Buckentine had two shots between 9:45 and 11 p.m. and appeared fine enough to drive.

Buckentine soon sped up to 150 mph, snapped a cellphone photo of his speed and put it on social media. Seconds later, Michels said he saw tail lights about a foot ahead before impact.

Buckentine’s Snapchat account showed a speedometer reading of 150 mph with text that read “new record.”

Buckentine ran from the scene, then called the Sheriff’s Office the next afternoon. He said he recalled being at the bar but not being drunk. He remembered waking up in a baseball field in nearby Palmer before calling the sheriff’s office about missing his keys, phone and wallet.

He told a trooper the fastest he had ever driven was 145 mph at Brainerd International Raceway.