Man Pleads Guilty After Boulder Kills Mom, Daughter In Rosemount

ROSEMOUNT, MN — Joseph Paul Czeck, 34, of Hastings pled guilty Thursday to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal July 9, 2018 crash. The incident took the lives of 67-year-old Karen Christiansen and her daughter, 32-year-old Jena Christiansen, both of Shoreview.

Police say an 1,100-pound boulder fell off the back of the commercial truck Czeck was driving and struck the vehicle being driven by Karen Christiansen. The driver of the truck continued to drive away and did not return to the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

Judge Arlene Perkkio set the sentencing date for Jan. 17, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings, according to a news release.

On July 9, 2018, shortly before 5:00 p.m., the Rosemount Police Department responded to a crash at Rich Valley Boulevard and 125th Street in Rosemount. Officers determined that a Toyota Avalon had been hit by a boulder that became dislodged from a landscape truck. The driver and passenger in the Toyota suffered significant trauma and died at the scene.

Rosemount detectives identified Czeck Services as the company that owned the commercial vehicle involved in the crash. Police said Czeck was the owner of the company and had been operating the vehicle near the time and location of the incident.

Czeck was arrested in Inver Grove Heights on July 11, 2018 and charged with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

"We are pleased this individual has taken responsibility for this tragic crime which claimed two lives in our community," Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said in a statement. He extended his sympathies to the family and friends of Karen and Jena Christiansen.