Man pleads guilty to killing woman on motorized scooter in hit-and-run crash

The man charged with killing an elderly woman on a motorized scooter in October has pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide.

On Tuesday, 22-year-old Cameron Mikkel Bendson entered a guilty plea to one count of felony criminal vehicular homicide and fleeing the scene.

At about 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, Bendson allegedly struck and killed 70-year-old Rosie Lee Means near North Aldrich and West Broadway Avenues in Minneapolis. Means was thrown about 50 feet from the crash, according to a criminal complaint. Despite life-saving measures, Means was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Witnesses told police that Means had been riding her mobility scooter in the crosswalk when a Jeep Grand Cherokee ran and red light and hit her, the complaint states. The driver did not stop and left the scene. Police determined Means had the right-of-way.

The day after the collision, Minnesota State Patrol troopers found the Jeep abandoned in Brooklyn Park in a median on Highway 100. The troopers reported that the car had crashed and the interior appeared to have been set on fire, according to the complaint.

Further investigation revealed an unrelated emergency call from the day before the crash of witnesses reporting Bendson high on methamphetamine while driving the Jeep and that he is a "known methamphetamine user," the complaint says.

After receiving a suspicious person complaint in St. Anthony, police found Bendson in a reported stolen vehicle and subsequently arrested him.

Means’ family and friends remembered her as someone who gave back to the community and was known for helping others.

Bendson remains in custody in the Hennepin County jail and his bail is set at $150,000. He will be sentenced for criminal vehicular homicide on Feb. 8.