Minnesota man pleads guilty to manslaughter in fatal Watertown car crash

A Moorhead, Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to Second Degree Manslaughter in connection with the traffic death of a Watertown woman nearly four years ago.

Twenty-year-old Gage Thatcher Stevenson was at the wheel of a car that was westbound on U.S. Highway 212 in Watertown in September of 2019 when he intentionally crossed the centerline and collided head-on with an eastbound car driven by 43-year-old Dawn Meyer.

Stevenson was estimated to be traveling at more than 100 miles an hour in what investigators say was a failed attempt to take his own life.

Stevenson was seriously injured in the crash.

In court Wednesday, Stevenson admitted his reckless actions caused Meyer’s death.

He faces up to 10-years in the State Penitentiary. Sentencing is August 30th.

July 6, 2023