Driver on cellphone pleads guilty in fatal Dakota County crash

A 57-year-old Oronoco woman admitted she was on her cellphone when she ran a stop sign in Dakota County's Randolph Township and struck and killed a passenger traveling in another vehicle in 2016.

Lori Hoefs pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless driving and two counts of careless driving in connection with the crash on Oct. 22, 2016.

The criminal complaint against her says she admitted being unfamiliar with the area and did not see the stop sign on County Road 88 when she hit a passing Toyota on Highway 56. The impact killed Brenda Travis and severely injured her brother, Glen, who had been driving. The crash also thrust the Toyota into the path of an oncoming vehicle, and injured that driver and passenger.

Investigators found Hoefs hadn't used her brakes or taken any measures to avert the crash. She later admitted to being on her cellphone with a friend at the time of the crash.

She's expected to be sentenced Feb. 7.

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