Distracted driver ordered to visit grave of woman she killed
HASTINGS, Minn. — An Oronoco woman will serve six months in jail for a distracted driving crash in rural Dakota County in 2016 that killed a woman — and she’ll also have to visit the woman’s grave not once but twice.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Judge Jerome Abrams handed down the unique sentence to 57-year-old Lori Hoefs on Friday.
Hoefs admitted last November to being on her cellphone at the time she ran a stop sign in Randolph Township, killing 78-year-old Brenda Travis of Rochester. Three other people were injured in the crash.
In addition to the jail time, Hoefs must attend a driving improvement clinic, perform 30 hours of community service talking about distracted driving, pay a $1,000 fine and visit Travis’ grave annually during her two years of probation.
