Prosecutor: Plea deal reached with driver who struck, killed Wayzata officer
Beth Freeman of Mound, Minnesota is the suspected driver in the fatal crash. Photo Courtesy: Hennepin County Jail
(KMSP) - Prosecutors have reached a plea agreement with the driver who is accused of being both on drugs and her phone when she struck and killed a police officer in Wayzata last fall, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Beth Freeman, 54, intends to plead guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide, a conviction which a spokesperson said had the potential to land her in prison for just over eight years. Freeman's next court date is May 11.
Officer William “Bill” Mathews was removing debris off the highway Sept. 8, 2017, when he was struck by the Mound, Minn., native. Emergency crews attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to a search warrant, Freeman tested positive for cocaine and had drug paraphernalia in her car, admitting to officers later that she was talking on the phone and received text messages just prior to striking Matthews. She was also driving with a revoked license at the time, according to police.