ST. JAMES — A woman is accused of having methamphetamine in her system when she rear-ended two people on a motorcycle in Watonwan County in August, causing life-threatening injuries to the passenger.
Tawnia Kae Jacob, 39, of Chandler, Minnesota, was charged with four felonies for criminal vehicular operation and a felony for drug possession Wednesday in Watonwan County District Court.
A criminal complaint states the crash occurred Aug. 31 at the intersection of Highway 30 and County Road 5 north of Butterfield. Jacob told police her car’s brakes didn’t work when she tried to stop, according to the complaint, and she was going about 45-50 mph when she crashed into a stopped motorcycle waiting at a stop sign.
The passenger was airlifted to Rochester for treatment. Later she was confirmed to have sustained a brain bleed, nine broken ribs and needed to have portions of two organs removed. The driver of the motorcycle sustained a concussion and broken leg, according to the complaint.
Responders reported finding a bag containing methamphetamine and Jacob’s credit card in a ditch near her car. She allegedly denied the bag was hers at first before admitting she was on probation for a previous felony charge.
Jacob reportedly claimed she hadn’t used drugs that day but had in the past couple of days and would likely test positive for it, the complaint states. Police took a sample of her blood for analysis. About 20 grams of meth were inside the recovered bag.
Jacob’s first appearance in court is set for Sept. 17.