Car pins girl in bed
Drunk driver crashes vehicle into houseBy DAVE CALDWELL, Staff Writer dcaldwell@minotdailynews.com
Article Photos
A 15-year-old Minot girl was injured late Sunday night when a car driven by a drunk driver crashed through her bedroom window and pinned her underneath.
The driver, Willie Jo Starr, 21, of Minot, appeared Monday afternoon in Northwest District Court in Minot, where she pleaded guilty to charges of driving under the influence, aggravated reckless driving and providing false reports to law enforcement, all Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail on each charge. She will be forced to serve at least 90 days in jail.
According to Minot police, a caller called 9-1-1 at 11:42 p.m. and reported to Minot Central Dispatch that a car had crashed into their house and was on top of her daughter. Responding police, fire and ambulance units arrived at 1500-20th Ave. NW to find a vehicle had crashed through a ground-level window on the south side of the house, which is owned by James J. and Deanna Klein.
Evidence at the scene Monday morning indicated the vehicle, described as a 1998 Cadillac Catera, passed between two narrowly set young trees before it apparently made a direct entry, as one four-foot by eight-foot sheet of wood concealed the extent of the damage to the house. The vehicle came to rest on the girl, who had been sleeping in her bed at the time.
Shannan Summers, a passenger in the vehicle, was not injured in the crash but was transported to Ward County Jail for detoxification.
Rescue personnel utilized air bags, jacks and a winch to extricate the female victim from beneath the vehicle before she was transported to Trinity Hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Assistant Ward County State's Attorney Brad Peterson said Monday in court that the girl suffered a broken pelvis.
As police were investigating the incident, dispatch began to receive calls from several area residents of a suspicious female in the area who was pounding on doors. The department's SWAT team was mobilized for a short time while the area was canvassed before the suspect was located.
Olson said the SWAT team was already training at that time, so their involvement was "more just for manpower." Olson said initial reports indicated there might have been as many as six people in the vehicle at the time of the incident, and when coupled with the seriousness of the situation and the fact that the team was already together and nearby, SWAT team action was deemed prudent.
Court records indicate Starr had been arrested on five alcohol-related charges since May 2007, as well as numerous counts of driving under suspension and driving without liability insurance. Starr had spent numerous days in jail on those and other charges, as well as being ordered to undergo treatment options and perform community service. She was also wanted on at least one bench warrant at the time of the crash, and warrants were served on her Monday morning.
When Starr appeared in court Monday, she spoke softly as she entered guilty pleas on the three charges. Judge Richard Hagar ordered a presentence investigation due to the nature of the offenses and set Starr's bond at $5,000 cash or corporate surety. Starr faces a mandatory minimum of 90 days as a result of the injuries caused by the crash. As a condition of that bond, Starr was ordered not to consume any alcohol, and she will be required to submit to random drug and alcohol testing while awaiting the completion of the presentence investigation.
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Herrington
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11-10-09 9:33 PM
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Your family will be in our prayers!
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