Prosecutors believe Joseph Paul Czeck knew that a massive boulder fell off his dump truck and caused a crash Monday in Rosemount.
But Czeck, 33, of Hastings drove away and did not return to the scene of the crash. A Shoreview mother and daughter died when the boulder slammed into their vehicle.
On Friday, Czeck made his first appearance in Dakota County District Court and was charged with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide — two for alleged gross negligence, two for allegedly causing the collision and leaving the scene. Czeck was released from Dakota County jail after posting $30,000 bond.
Surveillance video captured from businesses before the crash show that his load was not secure, prosecutors say.
“This was a senseless and avoidable tragedy that claimed two lives,” Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said in a statement. “Anyone involved in a vehicle crash must remain at the scene and contact law enforcement. Failure to do so could result in a felony.”
Czeck, who was arrested Wednesday, has declined to give a statement to police.
Chief Deputy Dakota County Attorney Phil Prokopowicz said that Czeck’s behavior after the accident helps support the office’s assertion that Czeck knew the rock had caused it.
“There’s evidence that shows he did stop within a short distance of the accident and had been there for a while and maybe even had heard or saw the first responders coming,” Prokopowicz said.
The boulder — now estimated to weigh more than 1,100 pounds — became dislodged from Czeck’s truck after he crossed over railroad tracks while driving south on Rich Valley Boulevard, near 125th Street, just after 4:30 p.m., according to the criminal complaint.
It bounced along the road, crossed the center lane and crashed through the windshield of a Toyota Avalon headed north on Rich Valley Boulevard, according to the complaint.
The driver, 67-year-old Karen Christiansen, and her 32-year-old daughter Jena Christiansen, a front-seat passenger, both died at the scene from blunt force head trauma.
Surveillance video showed that Czeck drove away but stopped within a mile and parked in a driveway on the west side of Rich Valley Boulevard, the complaint said.
After sitting in the truck for about two minutes, he moved to another nearby spot and remained there for about five minutes, according to the complaint. At one point, the video shows Czeck walking around the outside of the truck.
Czeck drove away before stopping nearby for about two more minutes and proceeding south on Rich Valley Boulevard, the complaint said.
“While the truck was parked in the driveway, a witness drove by and saw a male outside of the truck strapping a large boulder down in the back of the truck,” the complaint said. “Surveillance video prior to the crash appears to show the truck carrying unstrapped boulders.”
Investigators visited construction sites in the area. At a site off Minnesota 3 in the Inver Grove Heights-Eagan area, a contractor identified the truck as belonging to Czeck Services, a landscaping company, and said Czeck had been there Monday picking up boulders, according to the complaint.
The contractor said he had loaded a large boulder into Czeck’s truck about two hours before the accident, the complaint said. When shown a photo of the truck from the surveillance video, the contractor said it was the truck he loaded the boulder into.
The contractor also said that the truck driver — “Joe” — was going to return around 5 p.m. and pick up more rocks, but he never showed up, according to the complaint.
“The contractor stated he called Joe around 5:30 p.m. and Joe told him a rock had fallen out of the back of his truck and he would not be coming back that day,” the complaint read.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a home in Inver Grove Heights that belongs to a relative of Czeck and found him inside. His truck was located in a locked building on the property.
Czeck’s next court appearance on Friday’s charges is set for Oct. 4 in Hastings.
According to data with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, dated through June 29, the company had no reported crashes on record and one safety violation, for failure to wear a seat belt. The company had two registered vehicles and only one driver, presumably Czeck.
Minnesota court records show Czeck has been convicted of six moving violations since 2003, including speeding in Dakota County in 2013.