Oronoco man charged with criminal vehicular homicide after using Snapchat while driving

WINONA, Minn. — An Oronoco man is facing charges nearly three years after a two-vehicle crash resulted in the death of a Winona man .Eric Arthur Wittlief, 22, was charged on April 11 in Winona County with one count of criminal vehicular homicide. Wittlief’s first appearance is scheduled for May 14.According to the criminal complaint, the crash occurred around 2:45 p.m. Aug. 9, 2021, on U.S. Highway 14.When law enforcement arrived at the crash, Wittlief, who drove a white Ford Ranger, was unconscious and injured near his jaw and hand. Minnesota State Patrol troopers investigated Wittlief’s truck and noticed his cellphone vibrated several times. Deputies unlocked the phone, which was on the floor of his truck, which showed GPS directions to Winona, indicating that he was traveling east. Text messages revealed that he messaged someone working in Ettrick, Wisconsin, at 1:27 p.m. saying he was running behind and his drive would take about two hours.Inside the other vehicle, a woman was driving and her husband was in the front passenger seat. After the crash, the woman told deputies the couple was driving to their home in Stockton, Minnesota, when the truck crossed the center line of the road. The woman
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