Prison term for high driver who sped through red light in Plymouth, killed other motorist

A man who plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for driving high and causing a fatal crash in Plymouth has been sentenced to a 6½-year term, including more than four years in prison.

Hennepin County prosecutors say David Andrew Boll, 50, of St. Louis Park, was high when he sped through a red light on Sept. 12, 2023, causing a collision that killed Catherine Caron, 68, of Plymouth, who was driving another car.

With credit for time in jail upon his arrest, Boll is expected to serve the first 4⅓ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Records show Boll has three convictions since 2012 for driving with a suspended license.

The County Attorney’s Office said it sought a 7¾-year sentence in light of Boll’s actions leading up to the crash and his driving record.

“Our thoughts today are with Catherine Caron’s family as they endure another of many difficult days,” County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “Mr. Boll drove in a grossly negligent manner and caused an unimaginable loss to the victim’s family. A significant sentence is necessary to sufficiently protect the community.”

According to the criminal complaint:

Boll was driving his car east on Hwy. 55 in Plymouth about 2:20 p.m., when he ignored the red light at the intersection with Industrial Park Boulevard and hit Caron’s northbound SUV. Caron died at the scene.

Before being hit by Boll’s car, Caron struck the rear of a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck driver who also ran the red light. The pickup driver, 73-year-old Roland Erwin Yager, of Corcoran, is due in court next month on a gross-misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation and counts of careless driving and failing to obey a traffic light.

Boll was driving at least 71 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone when he entered the intersection.

Blood tests found that Boll had THC in his system at the time of the crash. He admitted to law enforcement that he used marijuana about an hour before the collision. He passed out during a drug-recognition evaluation and was taken to HCMC for evaluation.