Criminal charges were filed against the driver of an all-terrain vehicle that crashed early Saturday north of Brainerd, killing 21-year-old passenger Joseph Bongaarts.
Jarrod Neil Zimmerman, 28, Hanover, was charged Tuesday in Crow Wing County District Court with felony criminal vehicular homicide for causing Bongaarts' death and leaving the scene of an accident.
Zimmerman is being held in the Crow Wing County jail on $100,000 bail or bond with conditions or $250,000 bail or bond without conditions. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 7.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Zimmerman:
Jarrod Neil Zimmerman
¥ When officers arrived they found Bongaarts, of Albertville, lying in the roadway covered in blankets. A Breezy Point police officer, who was one of the first to respond to the scene, noted Bongaarts had extensive head injuries. The officer also noted that Bongaarts was not breathing nor did he have a pulse. Bongaarts was pronounced dead at the scene.
¥ The Breezy Point police officer did not see an ATV in the area, but noted ATV tire tracks on the pavement. As the officer looked for the ATV he noticed Zimmerman approaching on foot. When speaking with Zimmerman, the officer noted the strong smell of alcohol but Zimmerman denied knowing where the ATV was and he continued toward the crash scene and stood by other bystanders on the side of the road.
¥ Witnesses told sheriff's deputies that about 1:30 a.m. Saturday several people left a bar on a large ATV driven by Zimmerman. Their destination was a residence on Birchdale Road near Brainerd International Raceway.
¥ One witness told deputies that Zimmerman was driving in the ditch along Birchdale Road and tried to drive onto the roadway. When he did, the front end of the ATV left the ground causing everyone on the ATV to fall off onto the pavement.
¥ Officers found the ATV, registered to Zimmerman's father, and blood on the passenger side of the ATV, at a nearby cabin.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department reported Zimmerman's driver's license record showed a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol in March of 2002 and license revocation for having an alcohol content in excess of .10 in January 2002.
Other previous convictions listed in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's criminal history database include misdemeanor fleeing a police officer in Hennepin County and misdemeanor third-degree possession of a controlled substance in Wright County for which Zimmerman served 90 days jail and was placed on 25 years supervised probation.
Since 2000 there also have been several misdemeanor traffic citations issued to Zimmerman in Hennepin and Wright counties for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, driving around a barricade, stop sign violation and speeding.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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