Lakeville Woman, Suspected of Driving Drunk, Crashes into Stalled Car, Kills Motorist

A Lakeville woman is in Dakota County Jail today with criminal vehicular homicide and DUI charges pending after she allegedly drove her vehicle into the rear-end of  car stalled on Interstate 35E overnight, killing the driver and injuring his passenger.

Julie Ann Fischer, 49, slammed her SUV into the rear of a car driven by Tijuan Moore, 50, of St. Paul, at 1 a.m. Friday morning, killing him as he sat in the car, according the Minnesota State Patrol. The crash occurred in the right lane on northbound Interstate 35E, just north of Interstate 494 in Mendota Heights, said Lt. Eric Roeske with the State Patrol. The car had its flashers on at the time it was struck, the State Patrol said.

Moore's passenger, 26-year-old Lisa Newsome, of St. Paul, was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where she was treated and released, Roseke said.

According to Roeske, Fischer, who was not injured, was taken into custody by a responding State Trooper whose observations were that she "showed to be intoxicated," he said. Roeske said Fischer was given a preliminary blood test and her blood was drawn for alcohol testing, but those results aren't available yet.

The State Patrol said this is the second time Fischer has been suspected of driving drunk in the past five months. She was cited in July by Eagan Police, according to a report in the Star Tribune. A hearing next month is pending in that case.

The Dakota County Attorney's office says Fischer will be formally charged by noon on Monday, Dec. 20. Fischer will be held in jail until her court hearing, which hasn't been scheduled, according to the attorney's office.

The road conditions at the time of the crash were listed as "dry" according to the State Patrol.