Chatfield man pleads guilty to criminal vehicular manslaughter in 2022 crash that killed Rochester man

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Nicholas Sprau, 59, of Chatfield, pleaded guilty to one felony count of vehicular homicide in a crash that killed a 36-year-old Rochester man.

According to court documents, Rick Hutton, 36, of Rochester, was traveling south on his 1984 Honda motorcycle on September 10, 2022, shortly before 10 p.m., when he collided with a 2018 Chevy Traverse traveling north on Hwy 52.

Hutton was killed. Sprau was driving the SUV. He and his passenger were not injured.

Sprau told officers he tried to pull into his driveway and saw Hutton approaching on his motorcycle. He said he thought he had enough time to make it.

Sprau said he drank six beers for six hours at a party and suffered no consequences, court documents show. When Sprau was given a field sobriety test at the scene of the crash, he was unable to complete the test without losing his balance. He later blew a blood alcohol concentration of .185, according to the complaint.

The ruling is scheduled for March 3, 2025.

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