James Opiyo Okwoyo, 59, was driving east across Broadway Ave. at 2:39 p.m. when another vehicle, traveling northbound and approaching 17th Street Southeast, T-boned Okwoyo's vehicle, according to an incident report from the Rochester Police Department. Okwoyo's vehicle went through a fence and off a 20-foot retaining wall as a result.
The Rochester Police Assisted Recovery program was unveiled to the public on July 31, 2019. Nearly two years later, police and stakeholders reflect on where the program has gone.
Will Hanson, 41, of Rochester, had been held at the jail following the Saturday night crash. He was released without charges pending further investigation, according to an Olmsted County Attorney's Office spokesperson.
The three children, ages 1, 3 and 4, are believed to have been left in the car for at least 2 1/2 hours before being discovered by police shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28.
The Olmsted County Attorney's Office said in a motion that Sterlin Haukom admitted to consuming 15 drinks and pressing on the gas pedal for 14 seconds before the Feb. 24, 2021, crash.
