A Proctor driver who tore through dense fog and slammed into another car, killing a Duluth mother and badly injuring her young son, was ordered Friday to spend a year in county jail. The St. Louis County District Court sentence stems from a May 2022 two-vehicle crash that rattled the Northland and reignited worries about safety on rural roads. Judge Nicole Hopps opted for a mix of custody and long probation instead of the full prison stretch prosecutors had pushed for.
According to the Star Tribune, 22-year-old Jesse J. Kowalczak of Proctor pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 23 for criminal vehicular homicide in the May 13, 2022, crash that killed 48-year-old Leah J. Sarko. Judge Hopps ordered one year in county jail, stayed a five-year prison term, and imposed five years of probation, a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines that prosecutors opposed. The plea brought the criminal case to a close while leaving some open questions about how the structured sentence will actually play out.
The wreck unfolded around 8:45 a.m. at the intersection of S. Ugstad Road and Ugstad Junction in Midway Township, where visibility had dropped sharply in heavy fog, according to the Duluth News Tribune. First responders pulled Sarko from her overturned Subaru, but she was later pronounced dead. Her 11-year-old son, Evan, survived with a concussion and multiple broken bones. Neighbors and witnesses told investigators the boy was outside the mangled vehicle, calling for his mother, a detail documented in the criminal complaint that stuck with many in the community.
Investigation and Speed
A Minnesota State Patrol crash reconstruction pegged Kowalczak’s speed between 72 and 89 mph on a road posted at 40 mph, according to WDIO. Witnesses and deputies described fog so thick that even emergency vehicles had to slow down to safely reach the scene. Prosecutors leaned heavily on those findings to argue that Kowalczak’s driving crossed the line into gross negligence. The impact was so violent it flipped Sarko’s SUV and sent both the vehicle and debris well south of the intersection.
How the Sentence Will Be Served
Local coverage described the ruling as a 48-month prison sentence that will be stayed while Kowalczak spends five years on probation, paired with 364 days in county jail served in chunks instead of all at once, according to Northern News Now. The jail time is split into five annual stints scheduled to begin on the anniversary of the crash. It is a structure that sets a longer prison term on the books, then converts it into intermittent county time and strict supervision. As part of the plea, a second count of criminal vehicular operation was dismissed.
Prosecutors and the Community
St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki told the court that Kowalczak’s actions “stole a mother and community member from us,” according to Star Tribune. Her comments echoed the grief felt by Sarko’s family, friends and neighbors, who have continued to publicly honor her in the years since the crash.
Legal Notes
Kowalczak’s conviction for criminal vehicular homicide, a felony, carries a presumptive four-year prison term under Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines, according to earlier reporting from the Duluth News Tribune. While the criminal proceedings have wrapped, civil litigation and extended court oversight could still follow as Sarko’s family considers other legal paths.
The sentence closes out a case that has loomed over Duluth and nearby townships since 2022, yet it leaves lingering debates about how judges weigh guidelines against individual circumstances and what more can be done for safety on rural roads. For many residents, the enduring focus is on a family’s loss and an 11-year-old boy’s long recovery.
