An unlicensed driver fleeing one crash caused another moments later in Duluth and killed a nun in the other vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

Damien John Brown, 24, was charged in St. Louis County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the collision on May 9, 2024, that killed Sister Arlene Kleemann more than six weeks later.

Brown was charged by summons and is due in court on June 2. Brown could not be reached for his response to the allegations.

A few weeks after the fatal crash, Brown was caught driving in Duluth while drunk and was convicted, court records show. His blood alcohol content at the time was 0.22%, nearly three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by Kleemann's heirs and family. Brown's attorney in that case has been contacted for comment in both cases.

Along with the drunken-driving conviction, Minnesota court records also show that Brown has been convicted at least 11 times for either having his license suspended, revoked or not having one; three times for speeding; and once each for hit-and-run property damage, careless driving and drug possession.

Kleemann was in her 61st year of monastic profession at the time of her death, according to her obituary.

She earned an education and music degree from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and became a beloved teacher and principal at St. James Elementary School in West Duluth.

Kleemann returned to her home parish in Chicago and taught at various schools for many decades before moving back to Duluth in 2023, the obituary continued.

According to the complaint:

Police were sent to Lake Avenue and 4th Street in response to a two-vehicle crash. Brown sped in his car east on 4th through a stop sign and struck an SUV in which Kleemann was a front-seat passenger.

Police spoke with Brown, who disclosed that he went through the intersection at 50 to 55 miles per hour.

However, a police reconstruction of the crash concluded that Brown was driving no slower than 73 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Brown added that he had just been in a multivehicle crash in Duluth on Interstate 35, then fled the scene because his license was revoked. Brown is charged with criminal vehicular operation stemming from this collision.

Kleemann was taken by emergency medical responders to a Duluth hospital for treatment of numerous serious internal injuries. She died on June 24.