A Nashwauk man allegedly had THC in his system and was in possession of marijuana when he caused a wrong-way, head-on collision that injured a woman along Minnesota Highway 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors last spring.
Shawn Patrick Bennett-Casanova, 31, is charged with criminal vehicular operation in the March 2016 crash that left an 18-year-old Silver Bay woman hospitalized.
Authorities said Bennett-Casanova was driving south in the northbound lanes of Highway 61 when he collided head-on with another vehicle, also collecting a third car in the process.
The felony charge was filed on Jan. 26 after authorities said testing of a blood sample confirmed that Bennett-Casanova had THC in his system at the time of the crash.
Bennett-Casanova is not in custody. He has been summoned to face the charge on March 9 in State District Court in Duluth.
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The crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. on March 25 in the northbound lanes between Homestead and Alseth roads, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Investigators said Bennett-Casanova, traveling south in a 1992 Honda Accord, collided head-on with a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Jade Hawkinson.
Hawkinson had just passed a 1998 Toyota 4Runner operated by Michael Mattingly, 63, of Eagan, Minn., when the crash occurred, according to the Patrol. Mattingly was able to move to the shoulder, but his vehicle was also struck by the Accord.
Hawkinson and Bennett-Casanova were both unable to communicate with first responders, and firefighters had to extract them from their vehicles, according to a criminal complaint. Hawkinson suffered fractures to her skull and elbow.
Authorities said they found a pill bottle containing a baggie of marijuana in Bennett-Casanova's car. In a statement taken at the hospital, he allegedly said he had a prescription for the drug.
Investigators received a search warrant to obtain a sample of Bennett-Casanova's blood. Tests showed that he had THC, an active component of marijuana that gives the drug psychoactive effects, and two other metabolites in his system, according to the charges.
Prosecutors said Bennett-Casanova has a prior conviction in Florida for driving while impaired.
Attempts to reach him for comment were not successful, and he does not yet have an attorney registered.
Other wrong-way driving incidents have been reported on Highway 61 in the general vicinity of the crash - including a July 2015 incident about three miles north that claimed two lives.
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In that case, authorities said a 63-year-old Florida man driving with a blood-alcohol concentration more than five times the legal limit collided head-on with a 20-year-old Cloquet man in the southbound lanes, killing them both.
