Woman said her dog grabbed her truck's steering wheel and caused crash that killed an 82-year-old woman: Police

A Minnesota woman who allegedly caused a fatal car crash tried to blame the dog.

Shauna Dokken, 43, is behind bars after being charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a crash that killed 82-year-old Barbara Lee Welberg on May 29. According to court documents obtained by the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Dokken was in a red pickup truck that witnesses said was swerving into oncoming traffic on Highway 11 in Minnesota's Roseau County. Dokken allegedly drove eastbound into a westbound SUV being driven by Welberg, killing the older woman.

Deputies from the Roseau County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene at 4 p.m. on May 29 and found Welberg, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Her SUV had overturned. Dokken suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

One witness told police that he swerved onto the shoulder of the highway to avoid crashing into Dokken's truck and that "it felt as if the driver was intentionally tracking his movements and trying to hit him."

State troopers interviewed Dokken, who allegedly had slurred speech, but she did not test positive for alcohol. She reportedly admitted to taking several prescription medications that day, including Adderall and lorazepam, according to reporting by local ABC affiliate KSTP. Police said a blood test was pending.

Police said Dokken provided several conflicting stories about what happened before the crash, including a story blaming her dog. According to the complaint, Dokken told police that her dog distracted her, then "twisted the steering wheel and caused the vehicle to spin out of control."

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Online court records show that Dokken was previously convicted of DWI in 2025. At the time of the crash, she was on probation.

Dokken was booked into the Roseau County Jail, where she is being held on $200,000 bail. She is due in court on June 10 for a probation violation hearing in connection with the 2025 DWI case.