A Man Charged With Criminal Vehicular Homicide Pleads Not Guilty

He is being charged for the death of a popular West Fargo hair stylist

WEST FARGO, N.D.- Back in June, Daniel Dal Pozzo was driving with his friend Johnny Grey when he drove into the wrong lane and crashed into a parked pickup.

Police say his blood–alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Grey was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He is facing criminal vehicular homicide, charge of criminal vehicular homicide, he is also facing charges of criminal mischief that has to do with the parked cars, that were on the road at the time of the incident. And then I believe he is also facing a charge of the US driving suspension at the time,” says Cass County Prosecutor Katherine Naumann .

He was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 1:30 regarding the case, but it never happened.

“So for a felony, if it was a misdemeanor at your initial appearance you can enter a plea of guilty or not guilty right away. If it’s a felony, they typically will have you wait until the preliminary  hearing before you enter either a plea of either guilty or not guilty at that time. That’s what you would be first called on, so his current plea as of yesterday is not guilty,” she says.

“Today was the day of his preliminary hearing, however, yesterday he filed rule 43, which basically means that in paper they waived the preliminary hearing and he entered a plea of not guilty. So, the next hearing will be a dispo–conference. Which I believe is in Mid–January,” she adds.

The dispositional conference will give the opportunity to negotiate the case with the judge and the prosecutor.

Dal Pazzo is scheduled to appear in Court for the Dispositional Conference on January 16.

She says that while there is a date, it can always change.

He is facing a minimum mandatory of 10 years.

Dal Pazzo appeared in court this afternoon for charges unrelated to the case.