Crime & Safety

Rosemount Woman Faces Felony Charge After Roundabout Crash

Police say Elizabeth Dawn Nelson was drunk when she drove head on into another car, injuring herself and three others.

A Rosemount woman remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail after driving her car across a roundabout and into opposing traffic. The crash injured four and left one woman with a fractured spine.

Elizabeth Dawn Nelson, 50, is charged with criminal vehicular operation resulting in substantial bodily harm, a felony which carries up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She also faces two lesser charges of criminal vehicular operation and one third-degree DUI charge, all gross misdemeanors, which have a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

The crash occurred on March 1, at the intersection of Highway 3 and 195th Street in Empire Township. When officers of the Minnesota State Patrol first encountered Nelson she exuded a strong odor of alcohol and her eyes were red and watery. She had a dazed look about her, the reporting officer wrote, and was unable to complete full sentences. When asked to stand, Nelson was unsteady on her feet. She refused to take field sobriety tests or submit to a breathalyzer.

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Nelson was taken to Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville for evaluation. According to the criminal complaint, Nelson passed out and was unconscious during the entire ride to the hospital. Once there, she awoke and became argumentative with the staff there. Since the crash had injured others, officers informed Nelson that a blood sample would be taken with or without her consent.

Officers spoke with Nelson's passenger, who said that she and Nelson had been at a bar in Rosemount that evening. The woman said that she unsuccessfully tried to stop Nelson from driving. Once in the car, Nelson drove faster and faster and would not stop, she said. Nelson's companion sustained a cervical spine fracture as a result of the crash.

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Two people riding in the other car escaped with minor injuries.

Nelson has one previous alcohol-related driving conviction dating to November 2003, the State Patrol reports.

She is currently being held at the county jail on a $60,000 bond, which will be reduced to $40,000 if Nelson agrees to abide by the court's conditions. Nelson will make her first appearance in court on Tuesday, March 5.


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