ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired Oct. 27, 2021 on KARE 11.
The Dakota County Attorney's Office announced Monday it is bringing charges against a 26-year-old Minneapolis man in connection with an October 2021 crash that killed a beloved priest who was riding his bike in Rosemount.
Trejean Derrell Curry was charged March 17 with one count of criminal vehicular homicide for causing the death of Dennis Dempsey, 73, while operating a motor vehicle in a "grossly negligent manner."
Curry was initially arrested at the scene — County Road 42 and 145th Street West in Rosemount — on Oct. 25, where police found he was driving with a revoked license. Two days later, on Oct. 27, Curry was released from jail pending results from the investigation, including crash reconstruction data from the Minnesota State Patrol.
According to prosecutors, it was revealed in the months following the crash that Curry and Dempsey were both traveling west on the north shoulder of County Road 42 when Dempsey was struck by Curry's vehicle.
Court documents say crash reconstruction showed two tire skid marks from Curry's vehicle on the shoulder of the roadway prior to the point of impact. The marks then traveled straight ahead until veering left toward traffic just before impact.
A search warrant to analyze Curry's phone further revealed that its screen was activated leading up to the crash, and an outgoing text message was found, saying, "Just got in a accident biker got in the way."
The findings from a search warrant to obtain a sample of Curry's blood determined that neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor in the crash.
Upon completing their preliminary investigation, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Curry on March 17.
According to the original complaint, Curry told officers that Dempsey had swerved in front of him from the north side of the shoulder and into the traffic lane. He told police he couldn't move over because a car was next to him, and he couldn't stop because there was also a driver behind him.
At the time of the accident, KARE 11 spoke with community members who said Dempsey — known affectionately by some as "Father Denny" — was a "special man," who had a "calm presence about him" and served Catholic communities in the Twin Cities and beyond for many years.
"He touched our hearts very, very, very deeply," said Mary Langan, a parishioner during Dempsey's 15 years at Northfield's Dominic's Catholic Church.
When he was killed, Dempsey was in his fourth month as the lead pastor at Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville.
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