Charges suspended in motorcycle crash death

Posted under Eagan on Thursday 19 August 2010 at 4:31 pm

by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

Charges have been suspended for a former Eagan man accused of being drunk when he crashed his motorcycle and killed his passenger last year.

A competency hearing found Todd Charles Gillis, 43, unable to assist in his own defense due to a traumatic brain injury he suffered in the crash.

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said Minnesota law allows for prosecution to be suspended if a defendant is unable to assist in his or her defense.

Gillis will instead be referred to Social Services to consider whether a civil commitment for a disability is necessary.

The Dakota County Attorney’s Office had charged Gillis with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the crash, which killed his passenger, Amber L. Frandrup, 25.

The crash occurred around 10:20 p.m. on May 23, 2009, when Gillis was crossing the Mendota Bridge on Highway 55.

According to the State Patrol, Gillis rear-ended a car that had changed lanes in front of him, ejecting Frandrup and Gillis from the motorcycle.

Neither Frandrup nor Gillis was wearing a helmet, police said.

Gillis was traveling between 63 and 90 miles per hour at the time of the crash, according to the criminal complaint. The speed limit on the Mendota Bridge is 55 miles per hour.

A urine sample obtained from Gillis more than an hour after the crash showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit for driving.

Both were taken to the Regions Hospital in St. Paul after the crash where Frandrup died later that night. Gillis suffered serious injuries and required a lengthy hospitalization for multiple broken bones and brain trauma.

The driver of the car was not injured in the crash.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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