A 43-year-old woman named Shauna Rae Dokken from Minnesota faces charges of criminal vehicular homicide following a fatal crash that claimed the life of 82-year-old Barbara Lee Welberg. The incident occurred on May 29 when Dokken allegedly drove recklessly, causing a head-on collision between her Ford pick-up and a Kia Sorento on the opposite side of the road.
During the accident, Welberg’s vehicle overturned, resulting in her tragic death at the scene, while Dokken sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Dokken has provided conflicting and varying explanations of the events leading up to the crash, with one account suggesting that her dog distracted her while driving and even grabbed the steering wheel, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.
Witnesses reported Dokken’s erratic driving behavior before the collision, with one individual alerting emergency services and attempting to follow her vehicle to obtain the license plate number after witnessing her swerve into oncoming traffic. Another witness claimed that Dokken appeared to be deliberately targeting his vehicle, forcing him to veer off the road to avoid a collision.
Authorities noted that Dokken exhibited slurred speech and confessed to using prescription drugs such as Buspar, Lorazepam, and Adderall when questioned. She is currently in custody, with a detention order issued by Roseau County District Court Judge Tamara Yon, setting bail at $200,000. Dokken is scheduled to appear in court on June 10 for a probation violation hearing as the criminal investigation continues. If convicted, she could potentially face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison along with a $20,000 fine.
