Avon man charged with murder after traveling 150 mph in Highway 10 crash that killed 1

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – An Avon man has been charged with multiple felonies, including: third-degree murder, two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation, stemming from a fatal crash on Highway 10 in Becker last Saturday.

On Aug. 19 at 1:10 a.m., 23-year-old Hunter Michael Buckentine, of Avon, was travelling westbound on Highway 10 at a high rate of speed in an Infiniti Q50 when an eastbound state trooper encountered the vehicle.

According to court records, the trooper’s radar showed Buckentine’s vehicle travelling 130 mph in a 60 mph zone and the trooper turned around to attempt to catch up to the vehicle.

The trooper was then waved down by a woman near 97th Street who said their Chevy Colbalt was rearended by a vehicle going so fast they had no time to react. The impact on the Colbalt caused the vehicle to spin and rollover.

During the crash, two unrestrained passengers inside the Cobalt were ejected from the vehicle. 38-year-old Candice Carmen Pooler of Clarissa, Minn. was airlifted from the scene with life-threatening injuries and 34-year-old Jordan Dennis Kramer of Clarissa, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the criminal complaint, Buckentine was traveling about 80 mph when he continued to speed up and eventually took out his phone and took a Snapchat photo of his speedometer that read 150 mph with the caption that read “New Record.”

The witness also said once Buckentine took the photo, he looked up and saw the taillights from the Cobalt before making impact with the vehicle.

Buckentine allegedly took two shots of alcohol in the hours leading up to the crash while he was at Beck’s Pub in Becker. He left the bar at about 1 a.m. and the witness said Buckentine was supposed to be the sober driver, but they still thought he was “okay” to drive.

Buckentines initial court appearance in Sherburne County District Court is scheduled for Sept. 20.