A man has been charged in a high-speed crash that killed a nun last year.
Damien John Brown, 24, of Duluth, is accused of criminal vehicular homicide and operation in the May 2024 collision that led to the death of Sister Arlene Kleemann more than six weeks later.
A criminal complaint alleges that Brown was fleeing from the scene of another collision when he blew through a stop sign in the Central Hillside neighborhood, striking the car Kleemann was riding in at a speed of at least 73 mph.
Kleemann, 80, a longtime educator residing at the St. Scholastica Monastery, suffered several serious injuries and her condition deteriorated until her death in June.
Brown has an extensive history of traffic offenses and reportedly was driving with a revoked license at the time of the crash. He is separately facing a wrongful death lawsuit.
According to court documents:
Brown was speeding east on Fourth Street when his Ford Fusion crashed into a Subaru Forester driven by Elizabeth Strickland at the intersection of Lake Avenue around 6 p.m. May 9.
Witnesses said Strickland had stopped as she headed north, but Brown made no attempt to slow for the four-way stop.
Kleemann, who was in the front passenger seat, was hospitalized for injuries that included a broken leg, multiple broken ribs, a fractured sternum, a fractured vertebrae, a kidney injury and a collapsed lung. She underwent emergency surgery, but “did not respond positively and continued in acute trauma condition.”
Brown, who was bleeding slightly but “seemed OK physically other than being shaken up,” admitted to an officer that he was at fault for the crash.
He stated he was on Interstate 35 when he “brake checked” a truck, which then rear-ended his Fusion, causing him to lose control and swipe a Chevrolet Suburban. He said he pulled over at first, but then panicked because he realized his driving privileges were revoked.
Brown told the officer he exited I-35 at Mesaba Avenue, with the Suburban following him. He turned onto Fourth Street, estimating he reached speeds of 50-55 mph and admitting he drove through the stop sign.
Kleemann was eventually moved to a skilled nursing facility but never made a complete recovery as her condition “gradually retrograded” until her death June 24. A medical examiner cited the cause as “complications of multiple blunt trauma force injuries due to a motor vehicle collision.”
Duluth police investigator Adam Gonnerman later completed an accident reconstruction, determining Brown was traveling approximately 85 mph moments before the crash and that the car was going at least 73 mph when the collision occurred.
Authorities noted the speed limit there is 30 mph and that it is a high-density residential area with significant foot traffic.
Court records show Brown has been convicted at least 13 times for driving without a valid license or after suspension or revocation. He has three speeding offenses on his record in Minnesota and he has been convicted of impaired driving, careless driving, hit-and-run property damage, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and failing to use a seat belt.
Brown last week was issued a summons to make an initial appearance in St. Louis County District Court on June 2.
A lawsuit was filed in February by the nun’s sole surviving heir, her 85-year-old brother, George Kleemann, of Illinois. The suit alleges negligence and seeks in excess of $50,000 in damages, a boilerplate figure often used in civil complaints.
Brown has filed a standard answer formally denying the allegations; the suit remains in its preliminary stages.
Kleemann, according to an obituary, was born and raised in Chicago, entering the St. Scholastica Monastery in 1961 and making her first monastic profession two years later. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education and music from St. Scholastica in 1966 and was a teacher and principal at St. James Catholic School in West Duluth.
Kleemann returned to her home parish in Chicago and taught at several schools there for more than 40 years, also earning a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Loyola University in 1983. Her ministry focused on “teaching children of recent immigrants from around the world and helping their families adjust to a new life.”
Kleemann had returned to Duluth in 2023, according to the obituary.
Related Articles
Australian stands trial for murder of ex-husband’s family using death cap mushrooms
Slow down and look up: Extra law enforcement on MN roads starting Thursday
‘The unthinkable was happening,’ Weinstein accuser says of alleged 2006 sex assault
Police suspect 2 shootings that left 4 dead in Minneapolis were connected and gang related
Remains of woman missing since 2016 are found in St. Cloud area
Leave a Reply