The unlicensed driver who fatally hit a Wayzata police officer on a highway late last week was under the influence of drugs and using her cellphone in the moments leading up to the crash, according to charges filed Monday.
Beth I. Freeman, 54, of Mound, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of officer William Mathews, who was removing debris from the eastbound side of Hwy. 12 Friday afternoon when he was run over.
"What have I done?" Freeman said upon getting out of her car with Mathews pinned under one of the tires, according to one witness account in the criminal complaint.
Investigators also unearthed a video recording posted on Instagram that shows Freeman still at the scene and saying, "I just looked up and he was there," the complaint continued. A law enforcement officer gave Freeman a field sobriety test about 75 minutes after the crash and determined that "the influence of a controlled substance was evident," the criminal complaint read. "Freeman had an elevated pulse, constricted pupils and difficulty counting backwards."
The charging document did not address what drug that authorities suspect was involved, but cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found in the SUV she was driving.
Also, Freeman admitted to law enforcement at the scene to talking on her phone and receiving text messages shortly before the crash, the complaint continued. Examination of the phone by investigators confirmed what Freeman acknowledged and that "the messages had been read in the time frame immediately prior to her hitting" Mathews, the charges read. Freeman was jailed soon after the collision and is expected to make her first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, where prosecutors said they will request bail to be set at $500,000. Court records do not indicate that she has legal representation.
Serious driving offenses
Freeman's license had been canceled at the time of the collision because of her poor driving record spanning decades, a state Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said.
Freeman has three convictions for drunken driving and another for driving under the influence of illicit drugs, according to a copy of her driving record obtained from the state Monday. The state has taken away her driving privileges at least three times, most recently in October.