By Pat Minelli, Correspondent

A Shakopee man was drunk and driving negligently on Feb. 7 when his vehicle crossed a median and crashed head-on into another vehicle, killing a Prior Lake man, prosecutors allege.

 Vladimir Kulichenko, 21, has been charged in Scott County District Court with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of third-degree driving under the influence in the death of Mark Steven Adams, 46.

Kulichenko’s vehicle was traveling north on County Road 18 at about 9:20 p.m. when it crossed over the grassy center median and crashed into Adams’ vehicle, which was southbound on the divided roadway near Whispering Oaks Trail, police said. Adams’ vehicle was forced back about 100 feet and landed on its roof, police said. Adams died at the scene. Kulichenko was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis where he was initially listed in critical condition. He remains hospitalized.

A third vehicle, which also was southbound, was unable to stop and was struck by the colliding vehicles. The driver, Jessica Nicole Karasch, 23, of Prior Lake, was transported to St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee where she was treated and released.

According to the court complaint, Kulichenko’s blood-alcohol content was nearly three times the threshold for being considered legally intoxicated in Minnesota. His blood-alcohol content was 0.23 about two hours after the crash, according to the court complaint. In Minnesota, 0.08 is considered legally drunk.

Karasch told officers at the scene that she was driving behind Adams, who in a Chevrolet Cavalier, and that he had no time to get out of the way of the Kulichenko vehicle, which she said came straight across the median.

Kulichenko was pinned in his vehicle, an Audi Quattro, and he was unconscious, police reported. Police also alleged that inside the Kulichenko vehicle, they found “multiple” open cans of beer and detected a strong odor of alcohol.

Another witness, a Shakopee woman, told police she was northbound on County Road 18 when she saw a vehicle approach hers from behind at a very high rate of speed. She said she moved from the left to right lane to allow the vehicle, later identified as Kulichenko’s, to pass. The witness estimated that the vehicle was traveling at least 80 to 90 mph when he went around a curve on the road. The speed limit on that portion of the road is 50 mph.

The witness said as soon as the Kulichenko vehicle passed hers it started to slide and then crossed over the median.