Pine County Man Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Bicyclist
A Pine County man is facing felony charges in connection with a hit-and-run incident that left a bicyclist dead last week.
The incident occurred Monday morning, Feb. 10, 2025, along County Highway 61 near Sandstone.
According to the criminal complaint, Pine County deputies responded to a report of a hit-and-run crash around 8:06 a.m. Witnesses described a white pickup truck with a red snowplow colliding with the bicyclist on the shoulder of the road. One witness said the truck was so far over the fog line that it appeared to be attempting to pass another vehicle using the shoulder. After striking the cyclist, the driver briefly slowed down but then continued east into Sandstone.
Deputies arrived and found the victim—identified as 31-year-old Tyler Michael Spooner—lying unconscious in the roadway with life-threatening injuries. He was initially transported to Essentia Health in Sandstone before being air-lifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth. Spooner suffered multiple severe injuries, including fractures to his leg, internal bleeding from his spleen, a skull fracture and several brain bleeds. Despite medical efforts, he died of his injuries the next day.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby Casey’s convenience store, located less than a mile from the crash site, which showed a white, heavy-duty Dodge pickup with a red snowplow traveling eastbound at 8:06 a.m., consistent with witness accounts. A Pine County sergeant recognized the truck as belonging to 62-year-old Eddie Ray Eiffler, who resided on Groningen Road, which intersects with Highway 61 near the scene of the crash, the documents said.
Deputies went to Eiffler’s residence, but no one answered the door. Deputies spotted fresh tire tracks leading from a garage and an empty parking space where it appeared a vehicle had been recently parked.
Deputies soon located the truck parked at another residence in Sandstone, which belonged to Eiffler’s nephew. The nephew confirmed that the vehicle belonged to Eiffler and stated it hadn’t been parked there when he left for work that morning. Authorities also learned that Eiffler had called a friend to pick him up from the residence where the truck was later found. The two then went to a local café for breakfast before Eiffler was later dropped off at his home.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for the truck, which revealed evidence linking it to the crash. Investigators noted that the driver’s side snowplow light was broken, with shattered glass still inside the housing. Green paint transfer—matching the color of Spooner’s bicycle—was found on the lower part of the plow, the documents said. Authorities also collected DNA samples from the steering wheel and gear shifter.
With the evidence collected so far, Eiffler was located by authorities and taken into custody, now charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide—one for fleeing the scene of a fatal crash and another for operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Eiffler made an initial court appearance Wednesday, Feb. 12, where unconditional bail was set at $50,000, or $25,000 with conditions imposed like no drug or alcohol use and being barred from driving a motor vehicle.
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