SAULT STE. MARIE, MI— A Chippewa County man has been convicted of second-degree murder nearly five years after the crash that took a 20-year-old woman’s life.
Tanner Harrison, 42, was found guilty Friday following a five-day jury trial.
In June of 2021, witnesses reported a Ford F-350 pickup was running vehicles off the road on M-129 near Pickford. Near M-80, the driver—identified as Harrison—apparently cut off another driver, slammed on his brakes, removed a tire iron from the bed of the truck, and threw it at the vehicle he had just cut off.
A deputy with the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office pursued Harris’ truck toward Sault Ste. Marie, sometimes at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour. Soo Police officers headed toward Ashmun Street, anticipating his arrival.
Katie Robinson, 20, was northbound on Ashmun in her Volkswagen Beetle when Harris’ truck rear-ended it at 88 miles per hour, struck a parked car, and hit Great Lakes Recovery Centers. The Bug was propelled into a power pole and Robinson was ejected. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
In Katie’s memory, a memorial girls’ hockey tournament is held each winter, with proceeds benefiting a scholarship fund and the Diane Peppler Resource Center. This year’s tournament will take place February 13–15. Additional information is available at katierobinsonshowcase.com.
