20-year-old charged with drunken driving in Coon Rapids crash that killed pregnant woman
A 20-year-old woman is accused of drunken driving in connection with a Coon Rapids crash that caused the death of a pregnant woman.
Makayla April Sua Richardson faces one count of criminal vehicular homicide, two counts of criminal vehicular operation and one count of driving while under the influence of alcohol. The first three counts also had modifiers noting that Richardson was under the influence of alcohol.
As previously reported, first responders were called to a crash at the intersection of Coon Rapids Boulevard and Springbrook Drive NW around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
According to a criminal complaint, Richardson ran a red light, crashing into a Toyota Highlander that was turning left with a green light at the intersection. Richardson was in a Ford F-350 and was pulling a trailer.
The front-seat passenger of the Toyota, later identified as 26-year-old Melinda Thao, was declared deceased at the hospital. She was five months pregnant, and the unborn baby was declared deceased as well. The driver of the Toyota, 27, was brought to the hospital with broken ribs.
Court documents state that Richardson told police she had one drink before driving. She also admitted to speeding and not having a valid driver’s license.
Officers also saw an empty can that had contained alcohol inside the vehicle.
Richardson failed a field sobriety test and had a reading of 0.18 on a breath test — over twice the legal limit, court documents state.
A search warrant was executed to get a blood draw, but results are still pending.