WRIGHT COUNTY, Minn. — The man charged with driving a UTV drunk and causing the death of a 12-year-old boy last summer was sentenced Tuesday in a Wright County courtroom.
According to court documents, Austin Copsey, 37, received a 48-month stayed sentence with multiple conditions, including 10 years probation and periods of local confinement. He was also mandated to serve 100 hours of community service every year.
The sentencing came after it was determined Copsey had been driving a UTV last summer when it crashed, resulting in the death of 12-year-old Jesse Hooper. Hooper was the son of Elk River firefighter Tony Hooper.
According to prosecutors, Wright County deputies responded to reports of a UTV crash in Otsego, Minnesota, on July 16, 2022, around 10 p.m. When they arrived, they said they found a side-by-side four-wheeler, which they learned had rolled multiple times and struck several mailboxes before coming to rest in a ditch.
Court documents said deputies found Jesse nearby with traumatic injuries, deeming them fatal. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies said they found Copsey with a head wound, reporting at the time that he "smelled of alcohol and spoke with slurred speech." During their investigation, authorities learned Copsey had been at a neighborhood party before operating the UTV, and a field test showed Copsey's BAC at .19 — more than twice the legal limit to drive.
While Copsey first admitted he didn't recall what led up to the crash, he later told investigators he was driving the UTV at the time of the accident.
A GoFundMe was created by the Hooper's neighbor following the crash, which so far, has raised $37,000 of its $40,000 goal.
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