Northfield Man Sentenced to Jail for Killing Pedestrian

A Northfield man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for a fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision.

58-year-old Michael Moreland recently pleaded guilty to a careless driving charge in the case. A grand jury originally indicted him on a criminal vehicular homicide charge, but judge later dismissed the felony count because the panel was not instructed that it could consider charging him with a lesser offense.

48-year-old Kimberly Motzko was walking her dog along a road near her home in July of 2012 when she was struck by Moreland’s minivan. He told investigators he was blinded by the morning sun, but prosecutors alleged he was distracted by his cell phone.