A 28-year-old Minnesota woman, Rachale Francine Peloquin, has been charged with her 1-year-old son’s death after she allegedly killed him in a DUI crash while on the way to her grandparents.
Videos by Suggest
According to a criminal complaint obtained by KSTP, the incident occurred on Saturday, September 20. At around 6:30 p.m., first responders were dispatched to Highway 36 in Maplewood following reports of a crash.
Upon arrival, first responders found a flipped Chevy Tahoe that lay in a pond. EMS services requested the help of law enforcement agents as a 1-year-old was reportedly trapped under the vehicle. Fire crews managed to lift the SUV and get the toddler. Tragically, Revon Melvin Anthony Todd, 1, was declared deceased at the scene.
Two other boys were inside the Tahoe, ages 5 and 6, alongside a 32-year-old passenger. They were all transported to a local hospital, having suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Fox 9 reported, citing the same criminal complaint, that Peloquin, who was allegedly behind the wheel, told troopers she was heading to her parents. She was going to leave her children there to have some time for herself.
“I’m a single mom and I don’t get a f–king break,” Peloquin allegedly said. “I don’t get a break.”
Alleged DUI Crash
However, the complaint said that troopers quickly noticed an “overwhelming odor of alcohol” coming from Peloquin’s mouth. He would then allegedly explain that she didn’t know what happened, that the road was slippery from the rain, and said, “I lost control of the f–king wheel.”
Then, troopers allegedly found empty Fireball shooter bottles on the road. According to the complaint, Peloquin then admitted to drinking the night before and smoking cannabis earlier in the day. Allegedly, her blood-alcohol content read 0.172, over twice the legal limit in Minnesota.
After troopers allegedly saw traffic camera footage of Peloquin driving poorly, and after she was medically cleared, the 28-year-old mother was arrested. While on the way to jail, however, she changed her story, claiming that the 32-year-old passenger was the one who was actually driving the car.
Rachale Francine Peloquin has been charged with vehicular homicide. She is currently being held Ramsey County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.