DFL stands by Northland party official charged with vehicular homicide

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — An influential Democratic-Farmer-Labor official in northern Minnesota has roiled the party by declining to resign as chair of Congressional District 8 despite being charged with criminal vehicular homicide.

The incident has split Democrats between those who believe due process should play out for the accused and those who believe a personal scandal will derail the goals of beleaguered Democrats in northern Minnesota.

On the evening of July 3, 2024, police in Itasca County responded to a report of a person lying in a lane of Highway 169, near Nashwauk. They found the body of 19-year-old Carter Haithcock, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The next morning, 8th District DFL Chair Cyndy Martin called 911 and said that she may have been involved in a collision near Nashwauk the night before, according to the criminal complaint.

Martin, who declined the Reformer’s request for comment, pleaded not guilty last month to a felony count of criminal vehicular homicide. Martin faces up to 10 years in prison. Martin’s attorney, David Valentini, also declined to comment.

Martin is one of the most influential DFL figures in northern Minnesota. In addition to chairing the 8th District party, she sits on the DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee. She’s also a successful fundraiser and has connections with statewide elected officials.

Minnesota Democrats have largely refrained from publicly commenting on Martin’s case and whether she should remain in party leadership. Local congressional district parties aren’t controlled by the state party, but state officials could call on or press Martin to resign.

Multiple DFL elected officials in the Northland didn’t respond or declined the Reformer’s requests for comment about Martin.

Last month, DFL Chair Richard Carlbom was asked at a Democratic listening session why someone charged with vehicular manslaughter should remain in party leadership.

Carlbom, after an awkward pause, said “there is due process in this country, and I’m not about to, like, somehow — I don’t know, people sometimes think I can just, uh, well, I’m gonna allow due process to play out.”

Carlbom echoed those comments in a statement to the Reformer.

“This was a tragic loss of life, and my condolences go out to Carter’s family and everyone affected by this heartbreaking situation. Because this is an active legal case, we’re not going to prejudge the judicial process,” Carlbom said.

But pressure could be mounting for Martin to resign. Minneapolis citizen journalist Taylor Dahlin is tracking the case closely, and some party activists want her out.

A mysterious email

Lee Cutler served as the 8th District DFL vice chair under Martin until March of this year. Cutler said he was good friends with Martin, but he felt that she should have resigned back in November 2024 when she was criminally charged.

He says that shortly after prosecutors charged Martin, he and Martin together drafted an email to the DFL’s 8th District delegates saying Martin had already resigned. The email was sent out from the local party’s email account.

“Unfortunately, our friend and leader Cyndy Martin has stepped down as chair due to personal matters,” Cutler wrote in the email sent out on Nov. 23, 2024.

In the email, Cutler directed delegates to tell reporters if they’re contacted that Martin is no longer the chair and that he’s the acting chair.

About three hours later, another email from the local DFL party’s account — purportedly written by Cutler —  told the delegates: Never mind.

“Please disregard the previous email that I recently sent out. There was a misunderstanding, and Cyndy Martin has not resigned from her position as CD 8 Chair,” the email said.

Cutler says he didn’t write the second email, even though his name is in the signature of the message. He says the second email made its way up to DFL leadership, and he suspects someone in the party sent out the second email under his name.

The details of the emails were first reported by the Duluth Monitor.

In March, Northland politics came under a microscope after former Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Shortly after he was arrested, Eichorn resigned from the Senate under immense pressure from his Republican colleagues.

Cutler said that Martin’s charge and Eichorn’s scandal are obviously different, but he said that as with Eichorn, Martin’s charge is a distraction.

“It’s tragic what happened. I’ve always felt that as a leader within the DFL, our role was to uplift the party, its goals and the candidates — not ourselves,” Cutler said. “Party leaders are meant to support that work in the background, so the story should never be about us. In the 8th District, we need to focus on electing a candidate who represents our party’s values and this situation only serves as a distraction from that work. Fighting within the party is never a good thing.”

Minnesota v. Martin

Martin told law enforcement in July 2024 that on the night of the collision, she attended a dinner and was driving home after her dinner concluded at about 10:30 p.m., according to court documents. While driving through Nashwauk in Itasca County, she hit something with her car, she told officers.

“She believed she struck an owl or a turkey. (Martin) stated she did not stop, and continued home,” the complaint reads.

Martin was speaking to someone on the phone at the time she allegedly hit Haithcock, according to the complaint. The police interviewed the caller, who said that Martin exclaimed “Oh my God. I hit something,” according to the complaint. The caller told Martin to call 911. Martin later called the person back and said nothing was wrong with her vehicle — something only hit her windshield.

A photo of Martin’s car taken by State Patrol troopers at her Grand Rapids home on July 4, 2024. Screenshot from court documents.

State patrol officers interviewed Martin at her Grand Rapids home the morning of the collision. Outside they found her teal GMC Yukon; the windshield was cracked and a headlight was broken, and there was a piece of black fabric stuck between the hood and the frame, according to court documents.

The troopers asked Martin if she was drinking or on medications, and Martin told them she had an opioid prescription for knee pain, and she took one pill earlier in the day. Throughout the interview, the troopers said Martin exhibited mood swings and was “distraught, crying and upset at times,” according to court documents. Because of her behavior, the troopers decided to do a DWI investigation. Martin tested negative for controlled substances, including opiates.

The state and Martin’s defense agree that Haithcock was wearing dark clothing and “engaged in risky behavior” by walking in the highway, the state wrote in court documents.

Although the collision occurred in July 2024, Martin wasn’t charged with vehicular homicide until four months later. Itasca County Attorney Jacob Fauchald declined to tell the Reformer why.

Under state law, “the driver of any motor vehicle involved in a collision shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the collision, or as close to the scene as possible, and reasonably investigate what was struck.”

The prosecution argues that Martin gave conflicting information about what happened. She told officers that she believed she hit a bird and didn’t stop, while surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed her stopping there for about 25 seconds.

The state argues that a jury could find that Martin didn’t conduct a reasonable investigation after the collision and doubt her claim of believing she hit an animal.

“There is a stark difference between an adult male and an owl or a turkey,” the state wrote in court documents.

Martin’s defense relies on whether she conducted an adequate investigation of the collision since she believed she only hit a bird.

Haithcock was 19 at the time of his death and had a young son.

“His passion was helping people who were going through hard times. He was caring, genuine and was such a funny sweet boy who took care of everyone. Carter had a great sense of humor and could make anyone laugh and was always, ‘Just Chillin,’” his obituary reads.