Charges: Firetruck driver in deadly I-35W crash said he lacked sleep, smoked pot that day

As charges were brought against the driver of a Michigan firetruck that crashed Saturday on Interstate 35W in Blaine, killing two firefighters, people in the men’s hometown grieved the loss.

The driver, Micheal Allen Johnson, 28, of Baraga, Mich., said he was sleep-deprived and that he nodded off before the rig went out of control. He also admitted using marijuana and cocaine in the days and hours before the wreck, according to charges filed Monday. He was charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in Anoka County District Court and remains jailed ahead of a court appearance Tuesday.

Johnson was among nine firefighters from the Upper Peninsula community en route to help fight the Box Canyon wildfire in Utah when the truck “struck the median cable barriers, and rolled” at 3:08 p.m. Saturday, according to a State Patrol statement.

http://www.startribune.com/firetruck-driver-charged-in-i-35w-crash-that-killed-2/391649401/