A year in jail for driver who hit car on Hwy. 169, killed motorist and briefly fled

A one-year jail term was given Monday to a man who drove while under the influence of alcohol and hit a car on a highway south of Princeton, Minn., killing the other motorist and fleeing before he was persuaded to return to the scene.

Kyle C. Flor, 24, of Zimmerman, Minn., was sentenced in Sherburne County District Court after pleading guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash that occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on June 2, 2023, on southbound Hwy. 169 at 305th Avenue NW.

Kelvin O. Gomez-Landero of Honduras did not survive the crash, the State Patrol said. Two men in the car with him survived their injuries.

Flor and his passenger, Lukas G. Backlund, 22, of Princeton, were not hurt, the patrol said.

Court records in Minnesota show that Flor’s criminal history also includes convictions for underage liquor possession, careless driving and speeding.

According to the charges and a later prosecution court filing:

Troopers arrived and saw a vehicle off the highway to the right, where it had struck several trees. The car, a Honda, was on its side with the roof sheared off. Gomez-Landero’s body was on the ground in front of the car.

Flor, upon returning to the scene, told a deputy he didn’t notice the other car before he signaled and moved to the right lane. He denied knowing there was a collision and continued toward his home. He said he learned of the crash from a witness who followed him.

Under further questioning by a trooper, Flor said he had come from the Princeton Golf Course, where he drank one beer and a mixed drink. He said the clutch on his car slipped, sending his vehicle sideways. Flor said that has happened before, so he kept going.

The trooper detected a strong odor of alcohol from Flor, who was given a preliminary breath test at the scene that measured his blood alcohol content at 0.094%, above the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

Law enforcement had For’s blood tested and his alcohol content was 0.76%, a touch below the legal limit, but “this clearly impaired his judgment, perception and his overall ability to drive safely,” the prosecution wrote in a court filing ahead of sentencing.

The witness who followed Flor said he saw Flor’s Corvette hit the Honda and send the vehicle airborne. The witness followed the speeding Corvette until it stopped.

Backlund, a passenger in the Corvette, said Flor had two beers and a mixed drink at the golf course. Backlund said the Corvette jumped to the right and hit the other car after Flor shifted gears. Backlund said he told Flor “several times to pull over” after the crash, according to the complaint.