The man accused of crashing into and killing another driver at Main an St Paul Streets last week was driving at more than 75 miles per hour when he crashed during a police chase. Papers filed in court by Rochester police say Kendre Preston fired a gun at two different locations in the north part of Rochester early Friday morning, then drove off at high speed when police tried to stop him.
Preston drove at more than twice the speed limit, often with no headlights, and ran numerous red lights during the chase. He was going 76 miles per hour when his Jeep slammed into Benji Martinez’s Honda Accord, shoving it some 300 yards down East Main Street. Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene. Preston was pried out of the wreck and taken to Strong Memorial Hospital. The court papers say he admitted in front of witnesses that he was drunk.
Preston is charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, plus DWI.