Kaatz Funeral Directors

Raymond Hopkins Jr., 54, is charged with operating a snowmobile while intoxicated causing death as well as failing to stop at the scene of a personal injury accident, a one-year misdemeanor, according to Otsego County Prosecutor Michael Rola. Hopkins, who was arraigned Feb. 1, according to online court records, posted bond and was released from jail shortly thereafter, Gaylord Police Chief Brett McVannel said. According to the Petoskey News, a Macomb County native was killed in the crash, which occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 16, Rola confirmed. AdvertisementScott Fields, 38, of Gaylord, worked for Chrysler and Lear Corporation in Roscommon, according to his obituary. He was a former pitcher and catcher for L’Anse Creuse North High School in Macomb Township and enjoyed snowmobiling, hunting, fishing and golfing.A funeral service for Fields was scheduled for late-January in Macomb County’s Richmond Township. Hopkins is due back in court for a probable cause hearing before Judge Patricia Morse Thursday, Jan. 11, according to online court records. McVannel said Fields’ snowmobile was struck after he and another riding companion merged back onto the trail along which they had been traveling with Hopkins, whose snowmobile then struck Fields. Hopkins, whose attorney could not be immediately reached for comment, was located a short distance from the crash scene, McVannel said.In recent years, the state has reduced the maximum blood-alcohol level for boaters and snowmobilers to 0.08, putting it on par with the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle. (The Oakland Press)