Charges: Woman Drives Drunk With 5 Kids In Car
RANDOLPH TOWNSHIP, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Rochester woman has been charged with driving drunk and veering off the road with five children in the vehicle, including a 2-month-old.
Kara Larae Lindsey, 30, has been charged in Dakota County Court with driving while impaired, child endangerment and four counts of criminal vehicular operation.
According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol received a call around 2:45 a.m. that a vehicle had crashed into the guard rail on southbound Highway 52 in Randolph Township.
When authorities arrived, they found a Pontiac Grand Am in the center median with severe damage to the front and rear.
After Lindsey and the children were taken to an ambulance, a trooper detected an "overwhelming odor of alcoholic beverage," according to the criminal complaint.
The trooper also observed that Lindsey's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and as he got closer he smelled alcohol on her breath.
Lindsey told the trooper she hit a patch of ice and lost control. However, the trooper noted the road was completely dry at the time.
Lindsey admitted to the trooper that she did have one drink around 10 p.m. and later changed the times and amount of drinking, according to the criminal complaint.
"She told police she had been in St. Paul on Sunday evening," said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. "Apparently had consumed some alcohol with a friend in St. Paul and then she was returning home."
Four of the children were hurt in the crash with injuries ranging from neck and shoulder pain to a bloody nose. The 2-month-old baby in the back was not injured.
"And it's very fortunate under these circumstances that no one was seriously injured," said Backstrom. "But four of the children did suffer minor injuries."
The trooper performed a sobriety test and preliminary breath test, which she both failed. The results of a blood-alcohol sample are being process by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Lindsey doesn't have any previous alcohol offenses.
"Our law does increase the sanctions because otherwise this would have been a misdemeanor charge in terms of the drinking and driving offense," said Backstrom. "But Minnesota law does escalate the penalty under circumstances where children are put in danger."
Lindsey was released on Wednesday without posting any bail. If convicted of all six charges, she could face as much as two years behind bars and $6,000 in fines.
NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Bruce Hagevik Reports
