Woman Charged in Fatal South St. Paul Crash
A 53-year-old woman faces charges after allegedly causing a head-on crash in South Saint Paul that killed her ex-husband and injured two others Monday afternoon.
Emergency crews were called to Concord Street South and Chestnut Street in South Saint Paul on a report of a head-on collision involving a Dodge minivan and a Chevrolet truck.
Officers arrived and found the driver of the van, Bobbie Jo Puttbrese, 53, of North Saint Paul, sitting on the sidewalk. Officers noticed Puttbrese showed signs of impairment. Puttbrese took a preliminary breath test which revealed an alcohol concentration of .201, more than 2.5 times the legal limit.
PREVIOUSLY: Alcohol a Factor in Fatal South St. Paul Head-on Crash
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Witnesses to the crash said they saw Puttbrese cross through the center turn lane and into the northbound traffic lane, striking the truck head-on. The driver of the truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The front seat passenger of Puttbrese’s vehicle, Paul Edward Craven, 61, was transported to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. A second passenger in the van suffered multiple spinal fractures, a rib fracture and a sternal fracture, according to court documents.
Court records show Puttbrese was previously convicted of misdemeanor DUI in 1993 and again in 2000.
Puttbrese made an initial court appearance Wednesday, where bail was set at $250,000 with no conditions or $125,000 with conditions, including abstaining from alcohol and consent to electronic monitoring.
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