The parents of a young Washington County boy face felony charges in connection with a utility vehicle rollover crash that left the boy’s friend critically injured.

The charges against Grant residents Sam and Katie Kelley come almost a year after the Jan. 6 crash in the 9000 block of Lansing Avenue North. The Kelleys were each charged Wednesday in Washington County District Court with one count of endangering a child.

The Kelleys’ son was driving two visiting brothers in the family’s Polaris Ranger 500 Utility Vehicle when it rolled onto its right side and left the one of the visitors pinned underneath and unconscious, authorities said. All three of the boys were 6 years old.

When a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived on the scene around 8:30 a.m., he found Sam Kelley, 56, kneeling on the ground next to the UTV. The upper cage of the UTV was pinning down the boy’s neck, and the boy’s “face was turning blue, likely due to lack of oxygen,” according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court.

The body of the UTV, which weighs 1,065 pounds, was pinning down the boy’s legs, one of which was obviously broken, the complaint states.

The deputy, Sam Kelley and a third individual lifted the UTV off of the boy, and the deputy performed CPR on him until medics arrived and transported him to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Spinning on fresh snow

The boy who was driving said he and his friends decided to take the UTV out for a ride and went to get their helmets. He told police that “he is not allowed to drive this UTV, but did it anyway,” the complaint states.

The boy told police he was “driving the UTV along a trail near the neighbor’s house when the UTV started spinning because of the fresh snow,” the complaint states. “(He) stated that he let go and the UTV rolled onto its passenger side, pinning (the) victim underneath.”

He noted that the victim wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and said the boy “wasn’t awake” and “just needed some air,” the complaint states. “He stated that he has driven the UTV before and that it is one of many that he uses on a daily basis.”

A teenage witness at the scene told police “that the boys ride the various ATVs on the property, but were not supposed to be using the Ranger UTV,” according to the complaint. The witness said he was drilling holes in the ice when the boy who was driving and the other passenger “ran to him for help and stated the UTV had flipped onto (the) victim,” the complaint states. “(He) explained that the Ranger UTV can drive up to 40 mph if the driver’s seatbelt is engaged, otherwise it will not move faster than 15 mph.”

Parents were aware, investigators say

When interviewed by police, Katie Kelley explained that the visitors were brothers who came the evening before for a sleepover with her son. She said the boys “had been to her home before and used their ATVs, and that (her son) knows he is not allowed to drive the UTV, and that she was aware the boys were using it that morning,” the complaint states. “(She) stated she was inside the house preparing breakfast at the time of the crash.”

At the hospital, another deputy spoke with Samuel Kelley, who stated that he was aware the boys were using the UTV that morning, according to the criminal complaint.

Neither Samuel or Katie Kelley were outside supervising the boys while they used the UTV, nor did they stop them from using it after seeing that they had taken it without permission, the complaint concludes.

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As a result of the crash, the boy who was injured sustained a bruised lung and broken leg, which required surgery. He remained at Regions Hospital in an induced coma and on life support for several days before being discharged on Jan. 15, the complaint states.

The injured boy’s parents told police that they “were concerned about their children riding ATVs at the Kelley home and had recently spoken to Katie Kelley about their concerns following the deaths of two children in an ATV crash a few months prior,” the complaint states.

In the earlier incident, an Afton man was charged with two counts each of second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the deaths of his daughter and her friend on his property on April 22, 2023.