Minnesota man arrested in connection with fatal hit and run near S.D. border (2024)

LUVERNE, Minn. — Lucas John Strassburg, 36, of Kenneth, has been arrested and charged with criminal vehicular homicide related to a Dec. 13 incident in rural Beaver Creek that resulted in the death of William John Krotzer, 76, of Luverne.

Strassburg was taken into police custody on Sunday, Dec. 24, after a warrant was issued Friday, Dec. 22, for his arrest.

According to documents filed in Rock County Fifth District Court, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at approximately 12:10 p.m. Dec. 13 reporting a possible deceased male in a ditch east of 141st Street and 60th Avenue, north of Beaver Creek. Numerous deputies from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where several pieces of vehicle debris were found in the road. An individual directed the sheriff to the body in the ditch.

Law enforcement then contacted the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and an agent confirmed he would meet at the scene to assist with the death investigation.

Barricades were used to secure the scene, and during that time, one of the deputies was alerted to a van parked on the side of the road, approximately one to two miles east of Krotzer’s body. The van’s license plate, as well as Krotzer’s DMV photo, later confirmed the identity of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the sheriff searched for evidence, locating a plastic clip from a vehicle, maroon in color, and a Z71 emblem in the middle of the road, approximately 15 yards from the deceased.

Additional pieces of maroon-colored vehicle debris were also found. There was no evidence of skid marks or shadows of tire tread in the asphalt, the report states.

During the investigation at the scene, law enforcement was notified of possible security camera footage from a nearby farm, and also received notification from Luverne residents who reported seeing a maroon pickup with front-end damage at the intersection of U.S. 75 and 141st Street shortly after noon on Dec. 13.

On Dec. 14, law enforcement continued the investigation by checking security camera footage from two different sites. Also, a call was received from a Luverne car dealership stating that a Chevrolet Z71 had been sold to an individual on Nov. 1. A deputy drove to that residence on Dec. 15, but did not see a vehicle matching the description of a maroon Silverado.

On Dec. 16, the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Police Department received a report of a maroon Chevrolet Z71 matching the BCA’s crime alert parked near a gas station at approximately 7:50 a.m. The vehicle had also been reported to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office as having possibly been left at that location approximately 45 minutes earlier. The license plate on the truck matched the plate provided to law enforcement by the car dealership. Security footage from the gas station showed the vehicle being dropped off at 5:46 a.m. Dec. 16, and 11 minutes later, two men walking from the vehicle to a white SUV in the gas station parking lot.

Rock County sheriff’s deputies accompanied a towing company to the location and the truck was brought to the law enforcement center in Luverne to await processing by the BCA mobile crime lab team.

On Dec. 18, law enforcement interviewed Randy Hamm at the Law Enforcement Center. Hamm confirmed he was the owner of a maroon Chevy Z71 and stated his employee, Lucas Strassburg, had driven the truck to a work site on Rock County 4 near Beaver Creek on the morning of Dec. 13. Hamm had not seen the truck since then, he stated.

Hamm reportedly stated he got worried about the truck on Sunday, Dec. 17, when he saw the crime alert with photos of a truck that looked like his truck. He told law enforcement that he attempted to call Strassburg, but Strassburg didn’t answer. Instead, Strassburg texted Hamm, stating that he had the truck in Sioux Falls and was Christmas shopping. When Hamm reportedly told him he wasn’t supposed to use the truck for personal use, Strassburg said he’d return the truck. He reportedly never did, and stopped replying to Hamm’s text messages on the evening of Dec. 17.

Hamm told law enforcement that Strassburg called him at 7:32 a.m. Dec. 18 and was crying. Strassburg reportedly said he had some bad news and that he was the one to hit the individual on the road. He also said he got scared and said the truck was dumped in Sioux Falls. Strassburg reportedly also stated he was aware the truck was at the Law Enforcement Center in Luverne.

If convicted, Strassburg faces up to 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine or both on the felony-level charge.

Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Julie Buntjer became editor of The Globe in July 2021, after working as a beat reporter at the Worthington newspaper since December 2003. She has a bachelor's degree in agriculture journalism from South Dakota State University.