Wrong-Way Driver Killed Apple Valley Couple After Night Of Drinking: Prosecutors

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — A Kenyon, Dakota County man has been charged after a head-on crash on Highway 56 in Randolph killed two Apple Valley residents, according to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.

Seth John Nechville, 28, is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner, and one count of second-degree driving while impaired.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison on each vehicular homicide charge.

Nechville is in custody at the Dakota County Jail. Judge Dannia Edwards set bail at $500,000 without conditions or $300,000 with conditions. His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. in Hastings.

The crash happened around 11 a.m. on Sept. 6 on Highway 56 in Randolph.

When officers arrived, they found an SUV engulfed in flames with extensive front-end damage. A Dodge Ram pickup was heavily damaged and positioned northbound in the southbound lane.

Investigators noted long brake marks on the pavement that showed the truck had been traveling the wrong way.

Motorists had already stopped and pulled the SUV’s occupants, Patricia Ann Olson, 49, and Peter Foxvog Olson, 68, both of Apple Valley, from the burning vehicle. Despite lifesaving efforts at the roadside, both were pronounced dead.

Nechville told differing stories about where he was going and coming from, according to investigators.

Officers noted the smell of alcohol and bloodshot, watery eyes. A search warrant blood sample was collected, and the results are pending.

In a police interview at the hospital, Nechville admitted drinking from midnight to 2:30 a.m. the night before, and records show two prior DWI convictions in the past 10 years, according to the complaint.

The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota State Patrol investigated. Criminal charges are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.