Inver Grove Woman Sentenced for DWI, Role in Eagan Crash

Written by Clare Kennedy

Lynette Ann Fitzsimonds, 49, of Inver Grove Heights was charged with criminal vehicular operation and two counts of third-degree DWI.

Both are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and a $3,000 fine. She also faced two misdemeanor charges for reckless driving and fleeing police on foot. 

Eagan Police Department went to the 800 block of Wescott Road at about 10:30 p.m. May 17, 2012, after a report of a black SUV rolling over. A woman, later identified at Fitzsimonds, was on the sidewalk, yelling and saying that she could not find her dog, according to the criminal complaint.

Fitzsimonds started walking toward Wescott Woodlands Road. An officer told her to come back because she had some injuries on her arms and feet, but she kept walking. He caught up with her at the intersection of Wescott Road and Wescott Woodlands and noticed a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. 

Fitzsimonds refused to come back to the scene to discuss the accident, and said she wanted to look for her dog. 

Once she was cuffed and in a squad car, officers noticed she had injuries on her elbows, hands and head. She also had minor abrasions on her feet. She said she had a few drinks before driving on Wescott, but couldn't remember what happened after that. 

Another driver told police he was driving east on Wescott when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw a black SUV driving fast. He tried to veer left to avoid a crash but the SUV rear-ended him. The collision sent his vehicle into a spin. When it came to rest, he was facing west in the middle of the road. The SUV glanced off his vehicle and rolled. 

Fitzsimonds refused to perform sobriety tests and would not submit to a preliminary breath test. A subsequent blood test showed that she had a blood alcohol level of .18. The legal limit is .08. 

On June 5, 2013, Fitzsimonds pleaded guilty. In exchange, the two lesser charges were dismissed, as was one count of DWI, and the court agreed to a stay of adjudication for the first charge, criminal vehicular operation. 

Fitzsimonds was convicted of one count of third-degree DWI. On Aug. 15, Judge Karen Asphaug sentenced her to 10 days in the county jail (with credit for one day already served), a $300 fine, 80 hours of community service, 30 days of home monitoring and three years of probation.

If Fitzsimonds successfully completes her probation, the charge for criminal vehicular operation will be dismissed.

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