A Minnesota woman who has been arrested and charged with criminal vehicular homicide and driving while impaired (DWI) after her car fatally struck 82-year-old Barbara Lee Welberg’s vehicle. However, the suspected driver, Shauna Rae Dokken, allegedly claimed that her dog grabbed the steering wheel while she was driving.
Dokken, 43, is facing the following charges: The previously mentioned criminal vehicular homicide, DWI – under the influence of a controlled substance, and driving within 10 years of 3 or more qualified prior impaired driving incidents according to records from the Roseau County Sheriff’s Office viewed by PEOPLE. Dokken was also on probation for a case which was unrelated according to court docs.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on May 29 on Highway 11 where Dokken’s Ford F-29 pickup truck allegedly struck Welberg’s Kia Sorento as per the Independent. The crash resulted in the elderly woman’s SUV being overturned by the impact, Welberg was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police stated that they had received numerous reports that Shauna Rae Dokken had been driving in an erratic and dangers manner before the crash. A witness even attempted to follow the truck and called 911 after allegedly seeing the vehicle cross into oncoming traffic.
Shauna Rae Dokken claims her dog grabbed the steering wheel
After the accident Dokken allegedly told multiple conflicting accounts of what happened leading up to the crash. According to the documents, at one point she allegedly told authorities that the crash was caused by her dog grabbing the steering wheel as the canine was trying to get a treat.
She claimed that she tried to regain control of the vehicle but hit the shoulder of the highway which led to her car spinning out of control and hitting Welberg’s car. Her version of events somewhat echoes a similar incident involving a dog in Nebraska last month that authorities claim triggered a shotgun blast that hit a woman.
Dokken could allegedly be heard slurring her words at the scene, She suffered a non-life-threatening injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Later, during an interview with Minnesota State Police she apparently continued to slur her words however she tested negative for alcohol.
Authorities claim that she did admit to taking Adderal and lorazepam during the day which may have affected her driving. Her partner also said that Dokken had misused the medication in the past by snorting it.
The 43-year-old is currently being held in Roseau County Jail on $200,000 bail. Her next court appearance is set for June 10 which will be a probation violation hearing.
