Charges: Woman was driving drunk during head-on crash that killed her ex-husband
SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A North St. Paul woman faces charges for allegedly driving drunk and colliding head-on with an oncoming car in a crash that killed her ex-husband, who was in the passenger seat.
Bobbie Jo Braun, 53, faces one count of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation.
Charging documents say South St. Paul police arrived to Concord Street South and Chestnut Street around 3:20 p.m. Braun was sitting on the side of the road with watery eyes. She allegedly "had a difficult time" answering basic questions related to her home address and phone number.
A preliminary breath test at the scene determined she had an alcohol concentration of .201, which is over twice the legal limit. Braun said she had been drinking at several bars that day.
Investigators say Braun was driving a white minivan with her ex-husband, Paul Craven, in the passenger seat. There was another person in the back seat. Braun was traveling south on Concord Street South when she suddenly entered the northbound lane, colliding with a white Chevrolet truck.
Craven was taken to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the Chevrolet and the other passenger in Braun's car were also taken to Regions Hospital. The passenger had multiple spinal fractures among other injuries, and the driver of the other car had abrasions to his elbow and swelling on his knee and ankle.
According to documents, Braun was convicted of a misdemeanor DUI in 1993 and 2000.