Red Lake man sentenced to 5 years for involuntary manslaughter

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – A man from Red Lake, Minn. has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter in connection with a drunk-driving crash that resulted in the death of his passenger.

Federal court documents say, on Nov. 6, 2021, 27-year-old Gerald Johnson was driving while intoxicated, going more than 90 miles-per-hour in a 20-miles-per-hour zone on a Red Lake Reservation road.

Johnson failed to handle a curve, jumped the curb, and crashed into a tree, severely damaging the vehicle’s right side.

His passenger was ejected from the vehicle and died from her injuries.

Johnson’s blood alcohol content was 0.224, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Investigators recovered several bottles of alcohol from inside and outside of the vehicle.