FARIBAULT, Minn. — A Tennessee truck driver accused of watching Netflix moments before a deadly crash on Interstate 35 that killed an Iowa couple has pleaded not guilty, according to the Rice County Attorney’s Office.

Billy Joe Grimes, 55, of Lansing, Tennessee, faces two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation for the August 2023 crash near Faribault. Prosecutors allege that Grimes’ semi-truck, hauling more than 44,000 pounds of cargo, plowed into a Toyota Camry and a Chevrolet pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer in a construction zone, killing Matthew Henry Hansen, 57, and Cimberly Ellen Hansen, 56, both of Urbandale, Iowa.

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Dashcam video from inside Grimes’ truck and roadside cameras show that he drove past five warning signs, two with flashing lights, alerting drivers to slow down for upcoming construction. Investigators determined that Grimes’ truck was on cruise control at 66–68 mph and that he failed to apply the brakes before impact. The footage also revealed that Grimes was streaming a Netflix show on his phone as the crash occurred.

Witnesses reported that the truck pushed the victims’ vehicles off the road and through a barbed wire fence. One witness attempted to rescue the couple from their crushed car but said the female passenger had already died, and the male driver lost his pulse shortly after. The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries.

Grimes told investigators his phone had fallen from its mount and that he was only downloading an episode of Rust Valley Restorers to watch later. He denied watching anything while driving, but crash reconstructionists concluded otherwise.

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“There was ample space for Grimes to perceive the slow-moving traffic ahead, to slow down and avoid colliding,” said Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson, who filed the criminal complaint.

According to KARE 11, Grimes entered his not guilty plea in April 2024 and remains charged with causing the crash through gross negligence and distraction.

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