A woman sentenced seven months ago for driving drunk with her young son in the car was charged Wednesday with being intoxicated when she drove the wrong way on a Twin Cities highway and killed a man in a head-on collision.
Yana M. Olson, 28, of Lester Prairie, Minn., was charged in Hennepin County with criminal vehicular homicide and other counts in connection with the crash May 13 on Hwy. 169 in Brooklyn Park.
Ahmud Quadir Carrington, 22, of Minneapolis, was killed, and his three passengers suffered noncritical injuries, as did Olson.
A blood sample taken from Olson at a hospital showed her blood alcohol content at 0.10%, above the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.
Last fall, Olson was caught driving drunk with her 5-year-old son along in Kandiyohi County. She pleaded guilty and was given a one-year jail sentence. However, all but 34 days were stayed, and she was put on supervised probation for two years.
According to the criminal complaint in the most recent case:
Several motorists called 911 about 1 a.m. on May 13 to report a car heading south along northbound Hwy. 169. The collision occurred near County Road 81 before the State Patrol could catch up to Olson.
The trooper saw Olson pinned behind the steering wheel and going in and out of consciousness.
A 24-pack of beer was behind the driver's seat and missing several cans. There also were empty cans throughout the vehicle.
Olson told authorities that she was driving west of the metro from Glencoe to Biscay while tired and couldn't explain why she was in the Twin Cities at the time of the crash.
She also said that had not been drinking that day. She added that she takes antidepressant medication and had two pills that day.
