Rochester Area Man Sentenced on Conviction Tied to June Crash

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Rochester, Mn (KROC-AM News) - An Eyota man was sentenced Friday for a criminal offense connected to a chain reaction injury crash near Rochester earlier this year.

33-year-old Joshua William Wigham entered a guilty plea to a gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation and was sentenced to two years probation. He was also ordered to pay a $900 fine.

The criminal complaint says Wigham was driving a vehicle that crashed into the back of another vehicle on Olmsted County Road 9 about 5 miles east of Rochester on the afternoon of June 13. The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office reported the vehicle struck by Wigham was pushed into the back of a third vehicle that had slowed for animals in the roadway. A 57-year-old woman driving the vehicle rear-ended by Wigham was transported to St. Marys Hospital after she complained about neck and back pain.

The court document says witnesses told deputies that Wigham was seen swerving over the lane lines and appeared to be impaired. The woman transported to the hospital also reported seeing Wigham driving erratically before the collision.

According to the charging document, a deputy trained as a drug recognition evaluator spoke with Wigham and noted he had constricted pupils, swayed, and was slow to respond to questions. It also says investigators found evidence of drug use in his vehicle and on his person.