iPhone Crash Alert Led Deputies To Fatal Wreck, Woman Now Charged

BROWN COUNTY, MN — A Hanska woman is facing criminal charges after a two vehicle crash in Brown County early Saturday killed two people, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brown County District Court.

Brown County dispatchers were alerted to the wreck just after midnight Saturday by an iPhone crash detection notification for County Road 13 near County Road 22, according to the complaint.

Shianne Lee Escobar, 28, of Hanska, was charged Monday with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide for operating a vehicle with negligence while under the influence of alcohol, court records show.

A Brown County sheriff's deputy arriving at the scene found a white Chevrolet Silverado and a silver Oldsmobile with heavy damage on opposite shoulders of the road.

The deputy made contact with Escobar, who was standing outside the Oldsmobile and told him she had been driving the Silverado and was its only occupant, the complaint states.

Both occupants of the Oldsmobile, identified in court records only as Victim 1 and Victim 2, were found trapped inside the vehicle without a pulse.

Escobar told the deputy she had been at a bar in New Ulm and was driving home to Hanska, according to the complaint.

When asked how much she had had to drink, she said that was a question for her lawyer, the complaint states. Court records describe her as having slurred speech and eventually becoming unresponsive as emergency responders arrived. She was taken to New Ulm Medical Center.

Ambulance personnel told the deputy they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Escobar, according to the complaint. A judge approved a search warrant for a blood draw, which was carried out early Saturday morning at the hospital.

A witness later told investigators Escobar had appeared heavily intoxicated before leaving the bar, court records show.

Escobar faces up to 10 years in prison and a 20,000 dollar fine on each count if convicted, according to the criminal complaint. A judge set bail at 75,000 dollars and ordered a warrant for her arrest.