MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A man accused of running down a teenage girl with his SUV is guilty of felony criminal vehicular homicide, according to a Ramsey County judge.
Carlos Viveros-Colorado, 50, was charged with criminal vehicular homicide for killing 16-year-old Clarisse Grime near Harding High School in St. Paul last summer.
He rejected a plea deal earlier this fall. Viveros-Colorado was also found guilty of one count of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation.
He is set to be sentenced on Dec. 17.
Grime had just finished her summer classes for the day on July 5 and was sitting outside Harding Senior High School in St. Paul. That’s when Viveros-Colorado’s SUV ran off the road and hit her.
Viveros-Colorado told police his arms and legs went numb, causing the vehicle to swerve off the road.
However, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says Viveros Colorado could have easily prevented this accident from happening.
“He was travelling too fast for this particular part of the road,” Choi said. “As a result of that, the vehicle crossed the center line. Then, it hit a curb and a fire hydrant, and then went down a hill and ultimately killed (Grimes).”
Choi says the girl’s death was a tragedy for her family, and for Harding High School.
“She was by all accounts very bright, and just had a great future ahead of her, and that was taken away,” said Choi.
Guidelines call for four years in prison but defense attorneys will argue for a reduced sentence, according to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.
