MINNEAPOLIS _ A couple of days on an outdoor work crew await a Lamborghini driver who has admitted to being among a large pack of exotic sports car drivers who roared along at more than 100 miles per hour through traffic on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis on a spring weekend afternoon.
Ethan E. Hoover, 28, of Bloomington, pleaded guilty Monday in Hennepin County District Court to speeding, while charges of reckless driving and careless driving were dismissed.
Judge Frank McGill then sentenced Hoover to $578 in fines and fees, a year's probation plus a two-day stint on a county workhouse crew that will be assigned to a park or other public area.
The court in a case filing Monday advised Hoover to dress "for all kinds of weather" and be sure to have on "sturdy work shoes." The order said he must complete his duties by mid-March. Hoover declined to comment about his decision to plead guilty.
Late in the afternoon on April 23, Hoover registered 110 mph on a state trooper's radar as he headed west on I-394 between Louisiana Avenue and Hwy. 169 with roughly two dozen others in fancy sports cars.
The patrol said Hoover stopped briefly on westbound Hwy. 12 as a trooper was attempting to stop some of the vehicles, but Hoover soon left and was tracked down with some of the others at a Holiday station in nearby Maple Plain.
Twelve in all were ticketed. Three other cases have been resolved, one with a guilty plea by Austin Kemmer, 24, of Fargo, to reckless driving, and two others with dismissals because of a lack of evidence about who was driving.
Eight still face misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, careless driving and speed greater than reasonable-hazardous. They are: Swen Corbin, 43, Eden Prairie; John Wanninger, 52, Edina; Goran Vejzovic, 33, St. Paul; Dung Nguyen, 38, Brooklyn Park; John Biancini, 67, Vadnais Heights; David Morgan, 25, St. Louis Park; Adam Isaacson, 42, Eden Prairie; and Justin Krueger, 25, of Beach, N.D.
The high-speed cruise occurred in moderate traffic, with the pricey rides leaving Morrie's Luxury Auto sales near Louisiana Avenue before zipping and weaving along for several miles. Social media sizzled for some time after the drivers were ticketed. Some believed law enforcement was too heavy-handed, while others were outraged by the pack's behavior and viewed them as privileged elite.
Many of the drivers belonged to Corbin's MN Exotics and Supercars (MNE & S), an invitation-only club in the Twin Cities that touts itself as "one of the most exclusive" for high-end cars in Minnesota.
