Willmar man sentenced to prison for drunkenly causing fatal head-on crash

NEW LONDON, Minn. —  A 20-year-old Willmar man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a fatal head-on crash in New London two years ago.

Daniel Lohse pleaded guilty in May to criminal vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol for the July 24, 2022, collision that killed Dalia Zuniga.

On Tuesday, Lohse was sentenced to three years and five months in prison, according to court documents. He'll also need to pay nearly $68,000 in restitution.

According to charging documents, Lohse was driving drunk after leaving a house party in New London when he swerved into an oncoming vehicle on Highway 71 near Highway 9, killing Zuniga and injuring a passenger.

Lohse told responding firefighters that he was "drunk" and "wasted" at the scene of the crash, the complaint said. There was also a heavy smell of alcohol coming from Lohse and his vehicle.

Deputies also recovered marijuana from Lohse's vehicle, and he later admitted to having some "delta-8" in addition to an unknown amount of alcohol, charges said.