REGIONAL- A Virginia man plead guilty to charges in a drunk driving crash in Embarrass Township last August that killed an Eveleth woman.
Michael Kenneth Miller, 40, of rural Virginia, plead guilty in St. Louis County District Court to criminal vehicular homicide in the death of Jodi Dahl, 39, of Eveleth.
Miller had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when the Chevrolet Silverado he was driving veered across the center line of Hwy. 21 near Embarrass and struck Dahl’s car on Aug. 12, killing her instantly. Emergency responders found Dahl’s car in a ditch, and discovered she had suffered severe head trauma.
Miller reportedly told investigators that he was on his way home from a bar where he had been drinking “vodka cranberries.” Miller had been observed earlier in the day at another bar by an Embarrass Fire Department member. A preliminary breath test conducted at the scene determined Miller’s blood alcohol level to be 0.247.
Criminal vehicular homicide carries maximum penalties of ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine, but under the terms of a reported plea deal worked out with prosecutors, Miller’s recommended sentence will be four years. With credit for jail time already served, Miller will likely spend two-and-two-thirds years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Miller’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14.