St Cloud (KROC AM News) - Criminal charges have been filed against an Owatonna man who caused a deadly traffic wreck in St Cloud in March.

Misdemeanor charges of careless and reckless driving were filed this week by the St Cloud City Attorney against 61-year-old James Cockram. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance July 14.

Cockram was driving a semi-truck that rear-ended a minivan that had stopped for a red light on Highway 10. A witness told the State Patrol the truck appeared to be driving “at highway speed” and “made no effort to slow down” at the time of the deadly wreck. The van was pushed 450 feet, the length of 1 1/2 football fields, before coming to a stop.

The State Patrol says Cockram told police “he may have dozed off” just prior to crashing into the other vehicle.

The van was being operated as a taxicab. The driver, 66-year-old Thomas Findlay of Sartell, was killed. A passenger, 22-year-old Emily LeTourneau of Big Lake, also died. Another passenger, 24-year-old Marche Price of New Hope, was seriously injured.

 

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