North St. Paul woman sentenced to probation in crash that killed ex-husband
NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 53-year-old North St. Paul woman will not serve prison time for a drunken crash that killed her ex-husband.
On Tuesday, Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced that Bobbi Braun was sentenced to five years of probation, which is a downward departure from Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines. State prosecutors requested a four-year prison sentence.
According to the criminal complaint, South St. Paul police arrived to a crash on Concord Street South and Chestnut Street around 3:20 p.m. on June 5. 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.
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Investigators say Braun was driving a white minivan with her ex-husband, 60-year-old 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 truck and the other passenger in Braun's car were injured, but survived.
In October, Braun pleaded guilty to several charges, including criminal vehicular homicide. Braun will now need to comply with the conditions of her probation.
"I'm disappointed with the court's downward dispositional departure decision, given Ms. Braun's actions in this case," Keena said. "My condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Mr. Craven."
According to documents, Braun was convicted of a misdemeanor DUI in 1993 and 2000.