Former police chaplain pleads guilty to hit-and-run that injured 2-year-old
Eden Prairie hit-and-run answers sought
Eden Prairie police are looking for a vehicle that they believe hit a mother and her two kids on Thursday evening, leaving one of them in critical condition. FOX 9’s Leon Purvis has the details.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A former chaplain of the Eden Prairie Police Department has pleaded guilty to charges related to a hit-and-run that injured a 2-year-old, after admitting he was texting and driving prior to the crash.
Eden Prairie hit-and-run plea deal
What we know:
John Brecount, 64, has pleaded guilty to two counts of gross criminal vehicular operation – one felony and one misdemeanor, with prosecutors agreeing to drop two additional charges.
Dig deeper:
The proposed sentence seeks 100 days in jail (with work release and furlough privileges), three years probation and 20 days of sentence to serve work in the first year of probation (with closely supervised crews working on physical or public improvement projects).
Without a plea agreement, the felony count alone carried a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors were seeking an aggravated sentence due to the child's siblings being present during the crash, but have agreed to drop that.
It's ultimately up to a judge to decide sentencing, which is currently scheduled for Dec. 7.
Eden Prairie hit-and-run
The backstory:
A criminal complaint states on the evening of Aug. 21, 2025, officers responded to a crash at Mitchell Road and Chestnut Drive in Eden Prairie.
Upon arrival, they found a 2-year-old child who was critically injured, and her mother, who sustained minor injuries. Witnesses reported that a white sedan fled the scene.
Brecount, a volunteer chaplain with the Eden Prairie Police Department at the time, later admitted he was texting and driving, heard a "bump" and thought he clipped a crosswalk sign. Instead of stopping, he continued to drive to Culvers, and examined the damage to his vehicle there.
The next morning, after hearing about the crash on the news and seeing a text from an officer about it, he called police and said, "I think it was me." FOX 9 has confirmed that he resigned from his chaplain position at that point.
The 2-year-old victim spent 41 days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries for the 15 different injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.
The Source: Information provided by court documents filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting.