Leslie Shawn Sanders, the man charged in the road rage death last year of 79-year-old Larry Myers, pled guilty to second-degree murder on Friday afternoon in a Rice County courtroom.
The 53-year-old Sanders, a Faribault resident, was initially charged with first degree assault, but following Myers’ death nine days after the incident, the charges were increased.
A statement issued by Rice County said in exchange for the guilty plea, the Rice County Attorney’s office agreed to a 140-month prison sentence for Sanders.
The assault stemmed from an incident on June 27th of last year, on Cannon City Boulevard near 154th Street E, about 3 miles southeast of Dundas. Eyewitnesses said Myers, also of Faribault, was on his way to a dialysis appointment when Sanders cut him off, and his pickup hit Myers’ vehicle. The two continued to the intersection of Hester Street and Schilling Drive in Dundas, where Sanders got out of his truck, approached Myers’ SUV and started punching Myers in the face. According to authorities, Sanders initially attempted to make the assault look as if Myers had attacked him. The results of Myers’ injuries included an inability for him to breathe on his own. Myers was removed from life support and passed away just over a week later.
Sanders was charged by then Rice County attorney John Fossum, who characterized the incident as “inexcusable,” and “beyond the pale.” County Attorney Brian Mortensen said in the statement, “We understand that no amount of prison time will ever be enough to make up for a lost loved one. We greatly appreciate the family’s cooperation, communication and understanding while the case has been pending.”
Sanders’ sentencing has been scheduled for 2 pm on October 12th at the Rice County Courthouse.
Inattention a major problem in Rice County fatalities
Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas said he and his department had to put extra patrols on the roads this summer due to higher volumes of traffic, but the number of traffic fatalities for 2023 has already climbed far past the total number in 2022.
Thomas said because of the road construction on Interstate 35 and on Highway 3 on the North end of Faribault, the volume of traffic on the county roads has increased significantly. Because of that, Thomas said extra deputy patrols were deployed on many Fridays over the summer, and those patrols averaged at least five traffic stops per hour.
Overall, Thomas said, Rice County has seen nine fatal crashes and a total of twelve fatalities on the roads in 2023. That number far surpasses Rice County’s four traffic fatalities in 2022 and is the most since 2020 when ten people were killed in vehicle crashes.
At least half of the deaths in Rice County have been in the three-and-a-half-mile construction zone on I-35 between State Highway 21 and County Road 48. Thomas said the cause of most of those crashes is a familiar and preventable one.
“I think five, if not six, were on the Interstate where the construction zone is. People just aren’t paying attention. There are tons of signs, and they’re just not paying attention, not slowing down. Maybe they’re on their phone. I don’t know what it is, but people just need to start paying attention.”
Overall, there have been 263 fatalities on Minnesota Roads in 2023. The Director of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, Mike Hanson, said during the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, known to law enforcement as “The 100 Deadliest Days of the Year,” 161 people were killed on Minnesota roads, which is only a slight improvement over the last two years.
“The preliminary numbers show that 161 people lost their lives during that 100-day period. Last year, that number was 168 and the year prior to that it was 167. So, we’re showing better than we did in the last two years.”
In response to the problems in the I-35 construction zone, MnDot has increased the signage along the interstate approaching the construction from the North and the South. Sheriff Thomas said the construction is scheduled to wrap up in November, however, it is a two-year project, so it will resume in the spring.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas can be heard here
School Board will hear Elementary, High School improvement plans
The Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the boardroom at the Northfield School District office building.
Among the items on the board’s agenda tonight will be presentations of the Elementary Schools continuous Improvement plan made by Northfield Elementary School principals Nancy Antoine, Scott Sannes and Sam Richardson, and the Northfield High School Continuous Improvement Plan from NHS Principal Shane Baier, and Assistant Principals Becca Bang and Rico Bohren. There will also be a review and discussion of the school district’s “Duck and Cover” drill as required by legislation passed earlier this year. The board will also be asked to approve Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann’s Areas of Focus plan for the 2023-2024 school year.
The School Board will always invite public comments from those who live in the Northfield School District. Time for those comments is scheduled at the beginning of each meeting. Registration is required to address the School Board. A 30-minute registration window for those wishing to speak will begin when the boardroom opens at 5:30.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
