Rosemount man charged in deadly hit and run

Source: KARE 11

A Rosemount man has been charged in a March hit and run that killed a 26-year-old woman.
Eric Hunter has been charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, which are felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of driving after suspension.

According to the criminal complaint, Joan LeVasseur was hit by a vehicle while crossing the intersection of Cedar and 153rd Street in Apple Valley on March 6.
LeVasseur suffered severe head injuries, a fractured pelvis, and fractures to both legs. She died about a week after she was hit.

Several days after LeVasseur was hit, officers were tipped off about a car that matched the suspect vehicle's description. Officers checked out the vehicle and it had damage to the windshield and hood.
Investigators got a search warrant for the car and, according to the criminal complaint, they found blood on the windshield, which was a DNA match to LeVasseur.

Officers interviewed Hunter's coworkers, who noted several unusual incidents. One man recalled seeing Hunter's vehicle parked some distance from the lot where employees usually parked their vehicles even there were available spaces. The coworker commented that a vehicle parked that far away was less visible to others.

Another coworker remembers talking to Hunter on March 13. Hunter allegedly said things were "going to get kinda weird around here." Hunter also noted that "they were going to take that girl off life support." The coworker asked Hunter if he hit that girl and Hunter allegedly told the coworker that he did.

According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol reconstructed the accident and determined that Hunter's vehicle was traveling between 39 and 46 miles per hour when he hit LeVasseur. However, authorities say a big contributing factor to the crash was that LeVasseur crossed the intersection against the light.
Authorities say Hunter's license was suspended last October and was still suspended as of March 6.