PRESTON, Minn. - The woman accused of causing a crash that killed two children in an Amish buggy a year ago was in court Monday afternoon.
Samantha Petersen is facing several felony charges in connection with the crash. Court documents say she was high at the time of the crash and switched spots with her twin sister Sarah, so she could avoid prison time for driving high on methamphetamines.
During the omnibus hearing, Petersen's defense lawyers called into question three search warrants. They believe the evidence from the blood and urine test should be thrown out, because the scope of the test went beyond methamphetamines. The defense also questioned the search warrant for the sisters' phones. They also say the search warrant for a recorded conversation between the two sisters should not be admitted, because they did not give consent.
The prosecution called up Fillmore County Deputy Don Kullot, who recorded the conversation. Kullot said he took out his mini audio recorder in front of Sara to turn it on. He escorted her to the squad truck and placed the recorder in the cup holder in between them. He said when he left the car he kept the recorder going because he was intending to continue Sara's interview after talking with his colleague. When he came back, he saw the window rolled down and Samantha taking to Sara. He believes Sara rolled it down.
No date has been set for Samantha's next court appearance, but administration is aiming for December.