Maple Grove woman faces misdemeanor charges over pond crash

The St. Louis Park city attorney has filed misdemeanor charges against a Maple Grove woman who accidentally drove her car into a pond last year, killing two children.

Marion Guerrido, 23, faces misdemeanor charges for driving without a driver's license and driving without insurance, and a petty misdemeanor for not properly restraining one of the five children in the car. Guerrido crashed the car into a retention pond near Highway 100 in St. Louis Park last November. Two of the five children died later in the hospital.

According to the charges, Guerrido had an instructional permit that required her to be accompanied by a licensed driver. Guerrido also allegedly told police she was not driving more than 40 miles an hour when she lost control of the car.

The maximum sentences for the misdemeanor charges are up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The petty misdemeanor may cost Guerrido $50. Hennepin County prosecutors had decided not to charge Guerrido with a felony in connection with the incident.