Menomonie woman charged in deadly DWI crash in South St. Paul

SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Menomonie woman has been charged for a fatal crash on Monday that claimed the life of her ex-husband, charges allege.

Bobbie Braun, age 53, is charged with criminal vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol. Police responded around 3:20 p.m. for the crash at the intersection of Concord Street and Chestnut Street in South St. Paul.

Police said it appeared a minivan, driven by Braun, had gone over the center lane, crashing into a pickup truck driven by an Oakdale man. The Oakdale man was seriously hurt and rushed to the hospital. Two passengers in the minivan also suffered injuries with one of the passengers dying.

In the charges, police at the scene said they found Braun sitting on a sidewalk near the wreck, which left both vehicles with heavy front-end damage. Police say Braun was slurring her speech and had watery eyes. They say she also had a difficult time answering simple questions.

The charges state that, when asked if she'd been drinking, Braun said she had been to a couple of bars that day. When asked if she was safe to drive, police say Braun said she was drunk.

During the sobriety tests, the charges say police determined Braun showed impairment. Braun submitted to a breath test that came back at a blood-alcohol level of .20% – more than double the legal limit. Police also took a blood sample which hasn't come back yet.

The charges also identify the passenger as Paul Craven, age 60. Braun identified him as her ex-husband.

Braun was arrested after the crash. The charges state she has two previous misdemeanor convictions for drunk driving in 1993 and 2000.