A 31-year-old chronic auto thief has a court date this week on charges that he sped through a stop sign in a stolen car and killed another motorist at a St. Paul intersection in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood.
Xia Her-Xiong, 31, of Minneapolis, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide and auto theft Friday in connection with the death on Jan. 7 of Alison J. Annen, 60, of St. Paul.
Her-Xiong remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Tuesday.
Her-Xiong has a long record of run-ins with the law, having been convicted of stealing a vehicle seven times among other convictions for selling and possessing drugs.
According to the criminal complaint:
About 3 a.m., a police officer saw a car reported stolen and gave pursuit. The officer saw the car "blow through a stop sign" several blocks ahead at Minnehaha Avenue and Atlantic Street, where it hit a Chrysler PT Cruiser broadside, the charges read.
Her-Xiong and a male passenger ran, while two women who had been in the car at the time of the crash remained behind.
The PT Cruiser's driver, Annen, and another woman were pinned in the wreckage. Emergency responders declared Annen dead at the scene. Annen's 59-year-old passenger was treated for noncritical injuries.
