SPRING VALLEY-WYKOFF

Driver in fatal Amish buggy crash appears in court; charges filed in separate buggy crash just miles away

John Molseed — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:03:07 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Authorities in Fillmore County, Minnesota, are processing a pair of Amish buggy accidents that took place within 10 miles and 6 months of each other.

Samantha Petersen, who is accused of crashing into an Amish buggy and killing two children in September, made her first court appearance Monday morning, March 25 in Fillmore County.

Petersen, 35, of Spring Valley faces 21 charges including eight felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide, eight counts of felony criminal vehicular operation, two gross misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired, and misdemeanor counts of failing to provide proof of insurance and careless driving.

According to the criminal complaint:

Petersen was driving south on Fillmore County Highway 1 in Sumner Township, September 25, 2023, when she struck a buggy carrying four children. Two children, 7-year-old Wilma Miller and 11-year-old Irma Miller died in the crash. Their siblings, 9-year-old Alan Miller and 13-year-old Rose Miller, survived the crash with serious injuries. A horse was also killed in the crash.

Petersen was released from custody on a conditional bond and appeared in court in person.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 3.

Petersen’s sister Sarah Beth Petersen, 35, of Spring Valley, faces multiple charges for allegedly telling investigators that she had been driving at the time of the crash.

Sarah Beth Petersen is scheduled to appear in court Thursday, March 28.

Spring Valley hit-and-run

A Spring Valley woman was charged Tuesday in a separate Amish buggy crash, which took place in February just eight and a half miles north of the first.

Brittany Nicole Edgar, 32, has been charged for a hit-and-run accident that injured six individuals, including at least three children.

According to the criminal complaint:

Fillmore County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a crash after a driver struck a buggy near Spring Valley on Fillmore County Highway 1 shortly after 10 p.m. Feb. 16. Six people were injured and sent to a hospital. Two children hurt in the crash were seriously injured, according to reports.

A deputy responding to the crash spotted Edgar driving a white 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix with front-end damage. The deputy stopped the woman, identified as Edgar, in Spring Valley. The woman said she had hit a deer while driving to her parents’ Spring Valley home. At the time, the deputy believed the driver of the car involved in the buggy crash was still at the site of the crash, so he let the woman go and continued heading to the crash.

Deputies found parts of a white bumper at the crash and connected it to the officer who pulled Edgar over on his way to the scene. Deputies later followed up with the woman who again said she hit a deer but later admitted she had hit the buggy.

According to the filing, two of the injured children were treated in the pediatric ICU at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys in Rochester. One of them, 12, suffered a brain bleed, the report shows. A one-year-old hurt in the crash had a skull fracture and a swollen eye. The third injured, age 3, suffered a broken arm, the complaint shows.

Edgar faces a felony charge of criminal vehicular operation causing substantial bodily harm; gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation, leaving the scene of a collision; misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene of an accident; careless driving; failure to provide proof of insurance and a charge of providing false information to an officer.

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Fillmore County sheriff asks for patience with arrests in fatal Amish buggy crash

John Molseed — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 21:38:30 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — A complex chain of evidence led investigators to conclude a woman swapped places with her twin sister at the scene of a fatal crash in Fillmore County.

That same evidence is why neither Samantha Jo Petersen nor her sister Sarah Beth Petersen has been taken into custody on the dozens of charges they face from the September 2023 crash, Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge said in a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 8.

The charges were filed in Fillmore County District Court this week.

Wilma Miller, 7, and Irma Miller, 11, were killed on Sept. 25, 2023, when the driver of a 2005 Toyota 4Runner SUV struck the buggy they were riding in on Fillmore County Highway 1 near Racine. Their siblings Alan Miller, 9, and Rose Miller, 13, were also injured in the crash.

Recorded audio and witness accounts of a similar-looking woman arriving on the scene, who then changed clothes, led investigators to believe Sarah Petersen, who took responsibility for the crash, may have been covering for her sister Samantha Petersen.

Other evidence, including cellphone records, blood tests and an advanced crash report, supports that theory, DeGeorge said. However, that evidence takes time to acquire and process.

“All of those things take a long time to get back,” he said. “If this were to go to trial before we have all this evidence back, we risk losing the case.”

Samantha Petersen has been charged with 21 counts in Fillmore County District Court, including eight felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide and eight counts of criminal vehicular operation. The criminal complaint in Fillmore County District Court was filed on Monday, Feb. 5. Sarah Petersen faces 16 felony counts of felony charges relating to aiding an offender and taking responsibility for criminal acts. Those charges were filed on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Neither had been taken into custody as of Thursday afternoon.

DeGeorge said he understood the public frustration, as it took more than four months before charges materialized.

“I appreciate that people are paying attention,” he said, adding that the questions were understandable.

“But it’s a whole lot tougher to answer if the suspect walks,” he said.

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Charges filed in Amish buggy crash that killed 2 children

Sydney Mook — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 16:09:43 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Vehicular homicide charges have been filed against a southeastern Minnesota woman more than four months after two Amish children were killed in a buggy vs. SUV crash in Fillmore County this fall.

Samantha Jo Petersen, 35, is facing 21 total charges in the case, including eight felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide, eight counts of criminal vehicular operation (also felonies), two gross misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired, and two misdemeanor counts of failing to provide proof of insurance and careless driving. The charges include one petty misdemeanor for speeding.

Weeks after the Sept. 25, 2023, crash, Fillmore County investigators were working to determine who was driving the silver SUV that ran into the Amish buggy.

Sarah Beth Petersen, 35, of Spring Valley, was initially identified as the driver, but later investigators believed they had cause to think that it could have been her twin sister, Samantha Jo Petersen, who was driving.

According to initial reports from the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office, at 8:25 a.m., a 2005 Toyota 4Runner driving south on Fillmore County Road 1 came up from behind and struck a two-wheeled horse-drawn Amish buggy. The accident happened near the intersection with County Road 102.

Seven-year-old Wilma Miller and 11-year-old Irma Miller died in the crash. Their siblings, 9-year-old Alan Miller and 13-year-old Rose Miller, were injured. A horse was also killed as a result of the crash.

The 18-page criminal complaint lays out a complicated set of events at the scene of the crash.

According to court documents, a captain from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office spoke with a witness on the scene who said he saw a woman he believed was the driver on the phone, calling 911. The man described the woman as a “blonde female wearing a Hy-Vee employee shirt that was black and red.”

Another witness on the scene described the woman he believed was the driver as “wearing black clothing, no eyeglasses, really light blonde hair, was taller.” The second witness later noticed another woman appear at the scene who looked similar to the first woman, but wearing different clothes.

“The second lady had a T-shirt with no sleeves on and she looked a little bit smaller than the first lady. (The second witness) wasn’t sure how the second lady got there; she just sort of appeared. Leroy saw the second lady give the first lady a hug and heard the first lady say that she didn’t see them until it was too late,” the complaint said.

Court documents say Sarah Beth Petersen identified herself as the driver in the crash. She is facing 16 felony charges relating to aiding an offender and taking responsibility for criminal acts.

While on the scene of the crash, squad car audio picked up a conversation between the sisters while Sarah was sitting in the vehicle. The two discussed how law enforcement could not tell them apart.

During the recording, the complaint says, Sarah can be heard saying, “I think that one of the guys is on to me but I don’t really care…” and “there’s no way they would ever know the difference between the two of us so they can’t tell.”

Later, after a deputy read Sarah Beth Petersen her Miranda Rights, Sarah said she “didn’t feel like she did anything wrong but knows that she hit someone, killed someone, and would have to live with that for the rest of her life.”

She later said she wanted to speak to an attorney. Her phone was seized and logged into evidence.

While at the scene, Samantha Jo asked to grab an ID under the floor mat from the silver SUV involved in the crash. Inside the silver SUV, a deputy noticed burnt marijuana blunts and “a small tin can commonly used to hold marijuana.” The vehicle was later towed and inventoried. A red T-shirt and black smock worn by Hy-Vee employees was located inside the silver SUV.

Both sisters worked for Hy-Vee, according to the court documents.

Call to HR

A human resources employee told law enforcement that Samantha had punched out for work at 7:47 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2023. Around 10 a.m. that day, Samantha texted HR asking HR to call her.

Samantha told the employee that she was on methamphetamine and that she had killed two Amish children after crashing into their buggy.

“I f----- up. I just killed two Amish people,” Samantha Jo Petersen said, according to court documents.

The human resources employee asked Samantha if she had been drinking, and Samantha said, “No, (HR), you know that’s not my first choice… I’m high on meth.”

According to the complaint, Samantha told the human resources employee that she had left the scene after Sarah arrived. Police also reviewed security camera footage, taken at Hy-Vee earlier on the day of the crash, that showed Samantha driving the vehicle that later crashed into the buggy.

The store manager said Samantha had messaged the manager and HR on Sept. 25, 2023, “saying that she messed up and was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash.” When asked why Sarah would take the fall for Samantha, the manager said they believed “it was because Samantha took care of Sarah’s children while Sarah was in prison and now, she feels like she needs to help Samantha.”

The phone number used to call 911 is the same number that Samantha provided to law enforcement at the scene.

A search warrant for a blood draw and a full set of fingerprints for Samantha was requested and granted by a judge on Sept. 26. The results showed the presence of methamphetamine, amphetamine and Delta-9 THC.

Law enforcement also spoke with a social worker who had had a conversation with Sarah’s 13-year-old daughter. The girl allegedly told the social worker that “my mom wasn’t the one that was driving.” The child was worried that when she got home later that day, her mother and aunt would be gone.

The criminal complaint says that a review of messages exchanged between Samantha and another person from Sept. 25 through Sept. 26 showed Samantha saying she “hit that amish buggy and killed two ppl” and “made sarah come there and take the fall for it so i wouldn’t go to prison.”

According to the complaint, Samantha had also searched “What happens if you get in an accident with an Amish buggy and kill two people,” “how to lock an iphone cops have,” and “if you hit a buggy and kill two people are you going to prison?” and similar searches.

The Minnesota State Patrol concluded that the driver of the silver Toyota 4Runner SUV was traveling between 63 mph and 71 mph at the time of the crash. The speed limit on County Road 1 is 55 mph. The view on the road was clear for 1,452 feet before the crash scene, and there were no obstructions.

Shortly after the date of the crash, both Samantha and Sarah Petersen moved out of their Spring Valley residence, according to court documents. They are believed to be living in the Kellogg area.

Samantha Jo Petersen by inforumdocs on Scribd

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Twin sister of driver in fatal Amish buggy crash charged for trying to take responsibility

John Molseed — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 20:31:58 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — The twin sister of a woman accused of driving under the influence and killing two Amish now faces charges for lying to investigators.

Sarah Beth Petersen, 35, of Spring Valley, faces 16 felony charges relating to aiding an offender and taking responsibility for criminal acts. The charges were filed in Fillmore County District Court on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Wilma Miller, 7, and Irma Miller, 11, were killed Sept. 25, 2023 when a driver of a 2005 Toyota 4Runner SUV struck the buggy they were riding in on Fillmore County Highway 1 near Racine, Minnesota. Their siblings, 9-year-old Alan Miller and 13-year-old Rose Miller, were also injured and a horse was also killed in the crash.

Initially, Sarah Petersen was identified as the driver of the SUV. However, an investigation that included text messages and a conversation Sarah Petersen had with her sister Samantha Jo Petersen, 35, led investigators to believe Samantha Jo was driving the SUV at the time of the crash.

Samantha Jo Petersen, 35, is facing 21 total charges including eight felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide, eight counts of felony criminal vehicular operation, two gross misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired, and misdemeanor counts of failing to provide proof of insurance and careless driving.

Eight of the felony charges against Sarah Beth Petersen are aiding and abetting an offender — her sister Samantha Jo Petersen — and eight are for taking responsibility for criminal acts, also felonies. Each charge carries up to five years in prison.

According to the complaint filed against Sarah Beth Petersen:

Witnesses who first arrived at the crash told a captain with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office that they saw a woman they presumed involved in the crash on the scene on a phone. Later, another woman appeared at the scene who looked similar to the first woman, but wearing different clothes.

As Sarah sat in the squad car, the car’s audio recording equipment picked up a conversation between the sisters. The two discussed how law enforcement could not tell them apart.

“There’s no way they would ever know the difference between the two of us so they can’t tell,” Sarah could be heard saying.

In a search of Samantha's phone, investigators found text messages from Samantha to friends including one where Samantha wrote: “Made Sarah come and take the fall for it so I wouldn’t go to prison.”

Samantha had also used her phone to search “What happens if you get in an accident with an Amish buggy and kill two people,” “how to lock an iphone cops have,” and “if you hit a buggy and kill two people are you going to prison?”

Sarah’s first appearance on the charges is scheduled for April 1.

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UPDATE: 2 children killed, 2 more injured in Amish buggy crash in Fillmore County

Staff reports — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:35:44 GMT

SUMNER TOWNSHIP, Minn. — The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Sept. 26, released more details about Monday's double fatal crash near Racine.

The Sheriff's Office said two children were killed and two more were injured in a crash involving an Amish buggy and a passenger vehicle on Monday morning, Sept. 25.

At 8:25 a.m., a 2005 Toyota 4Runner driving southbound on Fillmore County Road 1 collided with a southbound two-wheeled horse-drawn Amish buggy near the intersection with County Road 102, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The buggy was carrying the four children.

Seven-year-old Wilma Miller and 11-year-old Irma Miller were killed in the crash.

Nine-year-old Alan Miller and 13-year-old Rose Miller were transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys with unknown injuries.

The four children were siblings and lived in rural Stewartville.

The driver of the Toyota, Sarah Peterson, 35, of Spring Valley, was not injured, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Minnesota State Patrol, Mower County Sheriff's Office, Spring Valley Fire Department, Spring Valley Ambulance, Chatfield Ambulance and Mayo Clinic Ambulance also responded to the scene.

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Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

Forum News Service — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 13:30:53 GMT

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — A 63-year-old woman was killed Tuesday, July 27, after a two-vehicle crash just before 5 p.m. in Rochester.

The woman's 19-year-old daughter was driving a 2015 Subaru Outback, crossing westbound traffic from the north, when they collided with a Mercedes heading westbound on 48th Street Southwest, according to Rochester Police Department Sgt. Jeff Sobczak.

The Subaru spun several feet into a grassy area.

On Wednesday morning, Rochester police Capt. Casey Moilanen identified the 63-year-old woman as Stacey York of Spring Valley, Minnesota.

Citizens who were at the accident scene performed CPR on York for about 15 minutes before law enforcement arrived, Sobczak said.

The 19-year-old driver was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Mary's Campus. Sobczak was unable to confirm her condition.

The driver of the Mercedes, a 31-year-old woman, and her two daughters, ages 5 and 10, were taken to Saint Marys by a private party with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance responded to the scene.

Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

A crash investigators marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

A member of the Rochester Police Department marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

A crash investigators marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

A member of the Rochester Police Department marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

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