ANOKA, Minn. - Criminal vehicular homicide charges have been filed against a Bethel woman accused of driving drunk in a crash that killed two people on a motorcycle.
Prosecutors filed two felony counts against 42-year-old Paula Larson on Tuesday morning.
Anoka County deputies responded to the area of Viking Boulevard Northwest and Rendova Street Northeast in East Bethel Sunday night just after 7:30 p.m. There, they found two people on the shoulder of the road suffering from what is described as massive head trauma.
The victims, 48-year-old John Allen Jordan of St. Francis and 46-year-old Patricia Lyn Kalla of Big Lake, died on the scene despite lifesaving efforts.
Also on the scene was the driver of an SUV, who investigators later learned was Paula Larson. When asked if she'd consumed alcohol that evening Larson originally said no. When pressed, she admitted to having "two drinks" at EJ's Bar and was headed to a friend's house.
A Preliminary breath test showed Larson's blood alcohol level at .195, more than twice the legal limit.
Traffic reconstructionists say skid marks indicate that Larson's vehicle appeared to have made an "unknown maneuver", causing the motorcycle to collide with the driver's side door of the SUV.
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