30-05-2025
Charges: Teen was drunk, fishtailing before crash that killed classmate
Charges: Teen was drunk, fishtailing before crash that killed classmate originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
An 18-year-old was drunk behind the wheel and showing off his pickup truck when he crashed into a ditch, killing his friend on a night they had celebrated their recent graduations, according to charges filed in Otter Tail County.
Izak Shermerhorn, of New York Mills, is charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the Tuesday evening crash that killed New York Mills Public School student-athlete Blake Unger, 18.
Unger was pronounced dead at the scene after being found pinned underneath Shermerhorn's pickup truck. A deputy who responded to the scene noted "deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road before rolling."
The criminal complaint says Shermerhorn's eyes were "pink and glassy" at the scene, and he made statements to the effect that his life was over "all for a couple of drinks," and said he "f****** up."
Shermerhorn allegedly told the deputy he had drank three to four Mike's Hard Lemonades. He then failed a field sobriety test.
The teen said he had picked Unger up from his house – claiming that Unger "was intoxicated before he arrived," per the complaint – and was just planning to drive around and then bring him home.
The complaint then reads:
"He said he wanted to show off the sound of his exhaust because he modified his catalytic converter. He intentionally had been sliding around the road before the crash and was not able to control the vehicle when it went into the ditch."
He said he next remembered calling his mother and trying to break out of the driver's side window, with his vehicle on its side, with Unger under the passenger side.
The complaint says Shermerhorn had abstained from drinking for almost a year "due to issues with alcohol," but had "decided to celebrate because he was graduating from high school."
Tributes have been paid to Unger, a decorated wrestling and football team player and the Homecoming King at New York Mills Public School. His memorial service is planned for story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
