Three of the four charges against Frederick Rudolph Sobanja, 60, of Creechville Road in Grand Marais, were dismissed on July 21, when Sobanja pled guilty to one petty misdemeanor charge of following a fire truck closer than 500 feet. Sobanja, Cook County Board of Commissioners chair, was fined $190.
The dismissed charges were careless driving and failure to change his address, both misdemeanors punishable by 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine; and failure to drive with due care, both petty misdemeanors with a maximum $300 fine.
The charges stemmed from an incident on March 23, 2009 when Sobanja passed a fire truck responding to an accident at Cutface Creek. Sobanja said he passed the fire truck because he felt it was going too slow, however a Minnesota State Patrol officer’s report stated “the highway was so slippery that he himself could barely maintain a 40 mph speed without losing control.”
Leave a Reply