No charges against teen in Cambridge crash that killed 6
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The teen driving the car that collided with a drunk driver in April in a crash that killed six people will not face criminal charges, Isanti County authorities said Monday.
Sebrina Schumacher, who was 16 at the time of the crash, could have faced charges related to Minnesota's graduated license law that restricts the number of passengers in a teen's car and prohibits teen drivers from driving during certain hours.
Four people riding with Schumacher -- including three teens -- were killed. The driver and passenger of the other car were also killed.
Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad said Monday that after reviewing all the documents from the State Patrol's investigation, it was clear the driver of the other car -- 24-year-old Joshua Netzel of Sandstone -- was at fault. Netzel's blood alcohol level was 0.25 percent, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive.
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The State Patrol found that Netzel was speeding and had crossed the center line when he crashed head-on with Schumacher on Highway 95 near Cambridge. Edblad said those facts, together with Netzel's blood alcohol level, led him to decide against charging Schumacher.
Edblad said the crash was unlike any he had seen in his role as county attorney.
"It just rippled throughout the community as such a horrific tragedy," Edblad said. "I hope to God to never see a crash of this magnitude again in my career."
Besides Netzel, 15-year-old Kelsee Blackledge, 16-year-old Stephen Kendryna, 21-year-old Travis Gryczkowski, 17-year-old Travis Buchan and 23-year-old Aaron Neuschwander were also killed.
