Afton woman charged with criminal vehicular homicide
A 19-year-old Afton woman was charged today with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a Stillwater woman in a car crash last week.
Alicia Rae Haupert appeared in court this morning and bail was set at $40,000, according to the Washington County Attorney’s office. She is being held at the Washington County Jail.
Killed in the crash was Andrea Barbara Zimmerman, 20, who was a passenger in a car driven by Haupert.
Police say Haupert was driving a 2006 Pontiac G6 south on Minnesota 95 in May Township about 8:30 a.m. Friday when she lost control of the car and slid sideways off the road. The car rolled over and struck an electric pole near 144th Street.
The other passenger in the vehicle was the owner of the car — Trisha L. Hughes, 20, of Lake Elmo. Hughes, who was sitting in the front seat, and Haupert had minor injuries.
All three had been drinking and were not wearing seat belts, according to the State Patrol.
Haupert told police she was going 55 mph when she hit some black ice, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court. When she tried to correct the car’s movement, the car “fish-tailed” and spun out of control, the complaint states. There were no other vehicles in the area.
Haupert told police she had been drinking vodka mixed with Full Throttle — an energy drink — the night before the accident. She said she stopped drinking about midnight and “went to another house and fell asleep around 4 a.m.,” according to the complaint. Haupert said she and her friends left about 8 a.m. so she could go to work.
According to the criminal complaint, Hughes said she had seven or eight shots of vodka the previous evening and that Haupert “drank more than she did.”
Haupert told police she “did not remember how much she had to drink the night before … and did not feel that what she had to drink affected her ability to drive.” A preliminary breath test at the scene of the accident indicated that she had an alcohol concentration of 0.108; the legal limit is 0.08.
The funeral service for Zimmerman, who was a 2008 graduate of Stillwater Area High School, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 tonight at Simonet Funeral Home, 6429 Osgood Ave. N., and one hour before the service at the church.
Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson said his office is also reviewing police reports indicating who furnished the liquor to the women, who were all underage. He said criminal charges against the individual who furnished the liquor may be forthcoming.
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443.
Rob Kornfeld represents clients who have suffered major personal injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions which can result in wrongful death. There are many types of accidents which can cause serious personal injuries that can last a……..more on Washington Car Accident Lawsuits