PLYMOUTH, Minn. — A 20-year-old man from Delano has been sentenced to 48 months in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in connection to the death of a Plymouth man and his dog.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Jack Blaschke pleaded guilty to causing the crash and leaving the scene on Sept. 13.
On April 28, 2021, Gregory Michael Schneider, 65, was found unconscious in a driveway near the intersection of County Road 24 and 32nd Avenue North. At the scene, police were told a vehicle hit Schneider and his dog.
An investigation found that Blaschke had initiated a drag race around 9 p.m. He pulled up to a red light at County Road 24, honked his horn three times at the car next to him, and indicated that he wanted to race, according to a criminal complaint.
Blaschke sped off and reached over 70 mph in a 45 mph area before hitting Schneider and his dog as they were crossing the street. The complaint says he fled the scene and didn't contact police to report the incident. After he was located by investigators, Blaschke admitted to hitting the pedestrian and that he drove to a friend's house after the incident.
State prosecutors had asked for a 57-month sentence, and the defense requested 41 months. Hennepin County Judge Daniel Moreno sentenced Blaschke to a presumptive guidelines sentence of 48 months in prison.
