SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Hultgren Construction, LLC pleads guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the Copper Lounge collapse and death of construction worker Ethan McMahon.
The company pleaded guilty this afternoon to a violation of federal law, the willful violation of the Occupational Safety, and Health Act Causing Death to an Employee.
Sentencing is not scheduled until 10 a.m., December 16, 2019, before Judge Karen E. Schreier in Sioux Falls. The federal probation office will conduct a pre-sentence report on the defendant, attorneys will have a right to object to the report, and the Defendant can provide letters of support.
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Some Copper Lounge collapse suits settled
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Copper Lounge site: Past, present, and future
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hultgren Construction pleads to a misdemeanor in building collapse case
The plea came about quickly today. According to court documents, Federal Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy entered a plea of not guilty for the defendant in an initial appearance at 1:26 p.m. At 1:40 p.m. at the plea hearing before Judge Schreier in federal district court, the defendant entered a plea of guilty.
The Copper Lounge collapsed on December 2, 2016, while undergoing remodeling. Besides the death of McMahon, Emily Fodness, who lived in an apartment above the Copper Lounge, was trapped in the rubble.
Click here, here, here, and here to read the documents from today’s proceedings.
