Crookston: Smagala Booked in Fatal Highway 75 Case
CROOKSTON, Minn. (trfnews.i234.me) — Jacob Alexander Smagala, 23, was booked into custody on Sept. 3, 2026.
The Northwest Regional Corrections Center roster lists a felony criminal vehicular homicide charge against Smagala.
The jail entry cites Minnesota Statute 609.21, subdivision 1(4).
The listed allegation involves an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher within two hours of driving.
Fatal Highway 75 Crash
The booking followed a fatal rollover reported early Sept. 3 in Norman County.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash happened around 3:40 a.m.
It occurred on Highway 75 near mile marker 276 in Lee Township.
A 1999 Oldsmobile Alero was traveling north when it lost control and rolled into a ditch.
Smagala was identified by the State Patrol as the driver.
The patrol listed his residence as Plainfield, Minnesota.
Smagala suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Ada Hospital.
The crash report says he was wearing a seat belt.
At the time of the report, alcohol involvement for Smagala was listed as pending.
Readers can view the Minnesota State Patrol crash report.
Passenger Died at Scene
The passenger was identified as 19-year-old Bain Alexzander Elhard of Halstad.
The State Patrol listed Elhard’s injuries as fatal.
The report says Elhard was not wearing a seat belt.
Road conditions were listed as dry.
Jacob Alexander Smagala | Northwest Regional Corrections Center booking photo
The patrol described the incident as a fatal crash involving an unrestrained occupant.
Criminal Vehicular Homicide Charge
The jail roster lists Smagala’s controlling charge as criminal vehicular homicide or operation.
It references an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of driving.
The roster uses the citation 609.21.1(4).
Minnesota renumbered that criminal vehicular homicide provision in 2014.
The current equivalent appears in
Minnesota Statute 609.2112, subdivision 1(4).
Current law covers deaths caused while driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
It also covers that concentration when measured within two hours of driving.
A conviction under the current statute can carry up to ten years in prison.
The law also allows a fine of up to $20,000.
Those are maximum penalties and do not represent a sentence in Smagala’s case.
Booking Recorded in Crookston
The Northwest Regional Corrections Center is located at 816 Marin Avenue in Crookston.
Tri-County Community Corrections operates the facility.
The agency provides correctional services for Polk, Norman, and Red Lake counties.
Readers can view the official NWRCC jail roster.
Facility information is available from the Northwest Regional Corrections Center.
The charge remains an allegation unless proven in court.
A jail booking does not establish guilt.
Further court filings may provide additional details about the case.
I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.
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