Unfortunately, there are very few fences on overpasses out here in the Midwest. From my hometown of Fairmont, Minnesota just last August, this took place on an overpass with no exit ramps to it or fences on it:
Blake D. Bents, 17, of Fairmont, faces charges of first-, second- and third-degree felony assault and first-degree criminal damage to property, along with conspiracy to commit.
The remaining four —Andrew J. Fellersen, 18, of Fairmont; Brock M. Frolik, 17, of Fairmont; Benjamin C. Carlson, 18, of Granada; and a juvenile not named because he was 15 when the alleged crime was committed — are charged with aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit first-, second- and third-degree assault and aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal damage to property.
According to information from the Fairmont Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol:
In the early morning hours of Aug. 26, truck driver Theodore Maki, 54, of Missoula, Mont., was driving a semi-trailer truck east on Interstate 90 in Martin County when he was struck in the head by a bowling ball that came through his windshield. He was knocked unconscious. The semi ended up crossing the other lanes of traffic and crashed 200 feet into a cornfield. Because of his injuries, Maki needed to be airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.
On Wednesday, Fairmont’s school resource officer received information about the group that participated in dropping the bowling ball off the overpass. All five were interviewed Thursday.
Fellersen was interviewed at Fairmont High School and initially denied being at the scene, but later admitted he was there but was not the one who dropped the bowling ball. He stated the group was out when they stole a bowling ball off a fence post from a backyard in Fairmont. The group then drove to the overpass, and were rolling the ball around. Fellersen said he talked about a time when someone threw a cinder block off the bridge and hit a trailer, and said he thought it was funny, but not safe.
According to Fellersen’s statement, the group then dropped the bowling ball off the bridge onto the Interstate below to see if they could make the bowling ball crack. They then went down and got the bowling ball and brought it back up. They were then going to try to drop it on the trailer of a semi. They saw a semi coming toward the bridge in the eastbound lane and tried to time the drop, but Bents dropped the ball too early. Fellersen said he knew dropping a bowling ball on the trailer would scare the driver.
Because Fellersen was 18 when the incident occurred, he was arrested and placed in the Martin County Jail. The other four were held at the juvenile detention center in New Ulm upon their arrest.
Bents also was interviewed. He at first denied he was the one who dropped the ball, but eventually admitted he never meant to hurt anyone, that it was meant to be a practical joke, even though he knew it would be really bad if things went wrong.
Interviews with the other three boys yielded stories similar to those given by Fellersen and Bents.
Damage to the semi was in excess of $3,000, and there also was damage done to about 200 feet of corn.
At their initial hearings on Friday, all the defendants were released on their own recognizance, with the exception of Bents, who was given the option of staying in the juvenile detention facility in New Ulm or voluntarily being admitted to a mental health clinic.
“These are the most serious allegations I’ve seen in a juvenile proceeding,” Martin County Judge Robert Walker said during Bents’ hearing, stating that the actions of Bents were “... literally a number of seconds away from the death of Mr. Maki.”
All five were placed on house arrest with electronic home-monitoring, with school attendance being the only exception. The five are not allowed to have more than incidental contact with each other, and none are allowed to drive a vehicle.
Bents is charged with first-degree assault and the other four are charged with aiding and abetting first-degree assault. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Second-degree assault, including aiding and abetting with a weapon and causing bodily harm, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Third-degree assault, including aiding and abetting, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Two counts of first-degree criminal damage to property, including aiding and abetting, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Each of the defendants also faces conspiracy to commit charges for each of above crimes. Conspiracy to commit maximum penalties are half of the maximum penalty for each charge.
Call the police if you see kids near a road that they don't need to be. It could save a life.
