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Fergus Falls man charged with criminal vehicular homicide in fatal Erhard crash

A 51-year-old Pelican Rapids woman was killed in a head-on collision on Highway 59 on September 6; a 25-year-old man has been charged and the investigation is ongoing.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 10, 2026, 3:58 p.m. ET
A Pelican Rapids woman was killed in a head-on collision on near in on September 6, according to Valley News Live. Basro Abokar, 51, was driving a northbound Buick Regal when it collided head-on with a southbound Volkswagen Passat, the outlet reported. Jacob Lee Thatcher, 25, of Fergus Falls, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Valley News Live reported. Thatcher was September 10 in District Court with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, according to Valley News Live. A charge is not a conviction. The cause of the crash has not been determined and the case remains , with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension involved. Valley News Live reported that a witness told investigators she saw Thatcher's vehicle weaving in and out of its lane, at times nearly entering the ditch and at other times crossing into oncoming traffic, and that after she passed Abokar's vehicle she looked in her mirror and saw Thatcher's vehicle suddenly swerve head-on into Abokar's car. The witness said conditions were lightly sprinkling but that visibility and road conditions were not hazardous, the outlet reported. According to Valley News Live, Thatcher told investigators he had been driving at least 75 mph in a 60-mph zone and was dealing with unbalanced tires and bad brake calipers; that he was returning from a delivery run and had consumed a shot of alcohol earlier that day, along with using a THC vape the night before and smoking THC concentrate prior to that; that he was also on medications and considered himself a "lightweight" with alcohol; that he was aware his vehicle would develop a severe vibration he referred to as a "death wobble" at speeds around 70 mph and had taken it to a shop but could not afford to fix all of its issues; and that he grew impatient with a slower vehicle ahead of him and attempted to pass before the crash occurred. A search warrant was obtained for a sample of Thatcher's blood, which has been sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing, with results pending, Valley News Live reported.

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  1. Version 110 Sept 2026, 19:58current

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