Charges: Woman was drinking at ‘several bars’ before South St. Paul crash that killed her ex-husband

Prosecutors have filed multiple criminal charges against a woman who allegedly drove drunk in South St. Paul and caused a fatal crash earlier this week.

Bobbie Jo Braun, 53, is facing charges of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation for the crash on Monday that killed a man and hurt two others.

The crash, which involved a minivan and a Chevrolet truck, happened on Concord Street South near Chestnut Street at around 3:20 p.m.

RELATED: Driver arrested after head-on crash leaves one dead, multiple injured in South St. Paul

According to court documents, a responding officer found Braun sitting on the sidewalk next to one of the vehicles. When talking with her, the officer noted she had slurred speech, watery eyes and dilated pupils. She also struggled to answer simple questions, then admitted she’d been drinking at several bars and was drunk.

She also allegedly told the officer that she was driving the van and hit the truck, and her ex-husband was in the front passenger seat of the van.

After she failed field sobriety tests, the criminal complaint states that a preliminary breath test showed Braun’s blood-alcohol concentration was .201, more than twice the legal limit. Officers then arrested her.

Paul Edward Craven, 61, Braun’s ex-husband who was in the front passenger seat of the van, was taken to a hospital but later died.

Two others — a 64-year-old backseat passenger in the van and the 55-year-old driver of the truck — were taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries. Court documents say the passenger of the van suffered multiple spinal fractures, a rib fracture and a sternal fracture. The driver of the truck had abrasions to his right elbow and wrist, a cut on his right eye and cheek, and bruising and swelling to his right knee and ankle.

The driver of the truck and a witness both told officers the van crossed the center lane, into the northbound lane of Concord Street, and hit the truck head-on, which officers confirmed by watching surveillance video from a nearby business.

The criminal complaint notes that Braun has prior misdemeanor convictions for intoxicated driving in 1993 and 2000.

She made her first court appearance Wednesday morning and had her bail set at $250,000 without conditions or $125,000 with conditions. Her next hearing is set for June 21.