Schermerhorn Pleads Guilty for Role in Fatal Crash that Killed Classmate

Izak Daryn Schermerhorn, 19, of New York Mills has plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for his role in a deadly crash last year that killed fellow graduate Blake Unger.

The charge stems from a single-vehicle wreck on May 27, 2025, near Bluffton Township in Otter Tail County.

Deputies responding to the scene found Schermerhorn’s pickup truck on its side in a ditch, with Unger, 18, pinned beneath it. Unger was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to court documents, Schermerhorn was under the influence of both alcohol and THC at the time of the crash. Investigators noted a strong smell of alcohol and observed that his eyes were pink and glassy. He later admitted he had consumed several alcoholic beverages and had been intentionally “sliding” the truck on the gravel road—actions he said were meant to show off its modified exhaust—before losing control and rolling into the ditch...

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