Guilty Plea For Fatal Hit and Run in Austin, MN

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Austin, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Austin man has admitted to a criminal vehicular homicide charge stemming from a deadly hit and run in late December.

36-year-old Darin Finley entered into a plea agreement in Mower County Court this morning. Under the terms of the deal, he also entered a guilty plea to a DWI-related charge connected to a separate incident in February of this year in exchange for the dismissal of a second count of criminal vehicular homicide.

Finley was arrested after the SUV he was driving struck and fatally injured 41-year-old Melissa Rack of Austin. She was found lying in the eastbound traffic lanes of Oakland Place next to East Side Park in Austin on the night of December 30, 2022.

It was alleged that Finley was intoxicated when he struck the pedestrian. According to the criminal complaint, one of the witnesses saw the driver of a white SUV stop near the site of the deadly incident, run back to the intersection where the victim was located, and then return to the SUV before speeding away.

The court record says a damaged Chevy Suburban was located by police parked in a driveway at a residence near where the victim was found. Austin police officers spoke with Finley after he answered a knock at his front door. The officers indicated Finley had glassy eyes and appeared to be intoxicated. It also states he initially denied being involved, but later admitted he was driving and he "hit something."

Finley is scheduled to be sentenced on December 21. Under his plea agreement, Mower County prosecutors agreed to recommend a stayed prison sentence with no additional jail time and probation.