On a spring Saturday afternoon in 2006, Dustin Holter's home was decked out for a celebration, with a tent ready to offer shade to party goers. The family had all looked forward to Dustin's graduation. But the expected party turned into a gathering for mourning and support. Early that morning, Dustin was driving home from a small party where drinking was going on. Near Hartford, he lost control and rolled the car into the ditch. He was not wearing his seat belt, was thrown from the car and killed. His blood alcohol level was at .134.
Dustin's father remembers his son, "He was into racing, camping, fishing, hunting. He was just an all around great kid. He was a great kid. Hard worker. I'm going to miss him a whole bunch."
The crash sent reverberations of grief beyond Dustin's family and touched the community. Graduation for Dustin's classmates at West Central High School went on as planned, with an empty chair standing sentinel to the young man's memory.
Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead's son also graduated from West Central that warm Saturday afternoon. Milstead was on the scene of the accident...and he delivered the tragic news to the Holter family. It is not an easy task for the Sheriff, "You take it very personal. Someone said, it's gotta be really difficult to walk up to a house where a graduation tent is in the back yard for the celebration of graduation today. Instead they're going to be planning a funeral." He adds, "We have heard teens tell us that they don't change their behavior until it touches them. Stories like this should touch all of them."
Dustin's father hopes teens do learn from the
tragedy. "I know there's going to be alcohol at some of these [graduation]
parties and if you are going to drink, please do not get behind the wheel.
It's a huge sacrifice that you've gotta... Just don't get behind the wheel."
