Charges: Driver who fatally hit 8-year-old bicyclist used meth, went through stop sign
Prosecutors in Scott County allege a 47-year-old Shakopee man had been using methamphetamine and failed to stop at a stop sign when he fatally struck an 8-year-old girl biking from her home to a convenience store in August.
The Scott County Attorney's Office charged Joseph R. Jacobson this month with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of Chyanne A. Rios on Aug. 22.
The collision happened shortly before 8 p.m. that day at Dakota Trail and Orion Road on the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Reservation.
Charges state Chyanne's mother told investigators her daughter wanted to ride her bike to a nearby convenience store, so she had agreed, but followed Chyanne in her car so she could watch her.
Prosecutors allege Jacobson, behind the wheel of a pick-up truck, ran a stop sign and struck Chyanne as she crossed the intersection. She died hours later at the hospital.
Chyanne's mother "had seen the entire incident," charges state, and Mystic Lake Casino's surveillance system also captured the collision.
At the scene, Jacobson allegedly told police the child came "out of nowhere" and claimed he was stopped at the stop sign, according to charges. He also allegedly indicated he might've been using his cellphone at the time of the crash.
Surveillance footage showed Jacobson "drive through the intersection without slowing or stopping" before he hit Chyanne, according to charges.
A blood sample taken from Jacobson that evening later tested positive for methamphetamine.
Jacobson's next appearance in Scott County District Court is scheduled for Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
