ELBA, Minn. — The crash woke the neighbors. A driver coming down the hill from Altura and across the Whitewater River into Elba went straight through the intersection and into the concrete steps up to the St. Aloysius Church sanctuary. This was about 1:50 a.m. The church was vacant. In fact, it’s been closed since 2017. When deputies arrived, Jared Blake Hernandez, 27, of Rochester, said he swerved to avoid a deer and lost control. An alternate explanation, deputies said, was a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%, 1-1/2 times the allowable limit. Damage to the church was minimal. The church was also stuck by a car in June from the same direction, also late at night.
Hernandez. Missed corner at State Highway 74 and County Road 26.